ON THE REGULATION OF WAGES BY MEANS OF SLIDING SCALES. 283> 



difficult an addition to the ordinary wages is usually conceded. The con- 

 cession of such addition may be given by the mine-owner himself, but 

 frequently it comes before the Committee or Board of Arbitration charged 

 with the carrying out of the scale, and to whom all disputes are referred. 

 (h) The miner bears the expenses of lamps, powder, and tools, such 

 as picks, shafts, sharping gear, &c. In South Wales this represents a 

 cost of from od. to Is. per week. In Cumberland it is estimated by the 

 miners as averaging 2^cl. per day, or taking 58^ working days for the 

 quarter, 125. 2^d. per quarter. The actual deduction from wages per ton 

 in respect of the above expenses at one colliery in Cumberland was, in 

 1875, as follows :— 



d. 

 March quarter ..... 069 per ton. 

 June quarter ..... 0'90 ,, 



September quarter .... 0'48 ,, 

 December quarter .... 0"48 ,, 



In Cumberland the hewers voluntarily contribute one penny per week 

 towards the expenses of carrying on the sliding scale, such as the cost of 

 taking out the quarterly returns. The cost per ton to the hewers in this 

 respect for the year 1885 was as follows : — 



d. 

 March quarter . . . . . O'll per ton. 

 June quarter , . . . . O'll „ 



September quarter .... 0*10 ,, 

 December quarter .... 0-09 „ 



3. The difficulties in the way of basing a scale not merely on the 

 selling price, but on variable elements in the cost of production are 

 universally admitted ; but there is little doubt that when one trade 

 depends on another, variations in the cost of the raw material would 

 require to be taken into account in fixing wages. The coal trade has 

 escaped the difficulty owing to the royalties being fixed for a considerable 

 period of time. But were a sliding scale adopted in other trades it might 

 not be successful, unless the price of raw material were one of the 

 elements on which the division of the produce was made to depend. 

 Further information on this important point is very desirable. 



4. Boyalfies. — The principle of the sHding scale does not seem to have 

 been applied to royalties to any great extent, though in some mines the 

 landlord receives a certain proportion of the price as his royalty. 



The royalty paid varies from 4c7. to Is. per ton, averaging about 8d. 

 per ton. Hewers' wages vary from 7d. to 3s. per ton, though it must be 

 remembered that there are many classes of men other than hewers 

 employed about a mine. 



Inasmuch as several gentlemen have promised further valuable 

 information on the working of sliding scales, it is desirable that the 

 Committee be reappointed, and it is suggested that in view of the meeting 

 in Manchester next year their inquiries might be extended to the wagea 

 lists in the cotton industry. 



