WAGES AND COST OF LIVING.
ITO THE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOR.") Sts,—Sir W. S. Haldane in his letter urges that we should not put too much of the responsibility for high costs on the work- man, as he questions whether on an average all over wages have increased more than cost of living, or even as much. The question is of considerable interest, and the official answer can be dug out from the February issue of the Labour Gazette. From it we learn that the Board of Trade estimated that at the end of December, 1920, when the cost of living had advanced 165 per cent., the weekly rates of wages of adults had increased on the average 170 to 180 per cent. on the pre-war rates. At the same time the usual working hours had been reduced from about 54 hours to about 46 hours per week. In other words, the average workman is working about 16 per cent. less hours Per week and receiving wages which enable him to live on a 10 per cent. higher basis than pre-war. Bringing the figures to hourly rates, they indicate that for each hour worked the average man was in December receiving 190 per cent. increase MI pre-war rates, as compared with 165 per. cent. increase in
Reference: the Labour Gazette for February, 1921, p. 64.
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