Thursday, March 7, 1968 studies in education, Paragraphs 8 and 0 of the Speech from the Throne. Now, I understand that there's not going to be any increase in teachers' salaries this year. I think that's the understanding that I have from the announcements which have been made. The teachers' federation had a press release to that effect and I sub¬ mit that that is not the way to develop our education here. In this Province salaries have always been below the average for other places, most other places. We know that when there is too great a differential between the salaries which are paid in Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and the other provinces and the salaries which per¬ tains here, that those who are ambitious will leave our Province and go some place else. So I submit that, in that regard, I think the Government has put on the brakes; instead of promoting, they've put the brakes on the development and the best in¬ terest of education in this Province with respect to the recruitment of teachers and for many other purposes which flow from the fact of having a proper and a well qualified teaching profession in the Province. Referring to the sections regarding the Dept. of Labor, I'm surprised that we haven't had a little bit more activity in the Dept. of Labor. Hon ! J. Elmer Blanchard : Ho, ho, ho, ho! M. Alban Farmer : This Dept. apparently now has a full-time Minister and a full-time Deputy Minister but no activity. The rates of pay, for instance, that were in operation when the Shaw Government was in power are still in effect as given to an answer which was on the Order Paper, the answer to Question No. 21. This is the answer dated 27th February, 1968. The general order for minimum wages, general order with stated exceptions, is $1.10 an hour. Well, that's two years since that was put in. Food processing plants, 90 Y an hour; that's two years since that was put in. Potato warehouses men, 851? an hour; that's two years since that was put in. Orders issued under the Women 's Minimum Wage . Laundry work¬ ers — 5GY per hour for probationary period of thirty days and 55c1 after that. Waitresses, Charlottetown area, $18.00 per week for 48 hours, for first 30 days or probationary period; after that $21.00 a week. Female employees other than wait¬ resses not less than $16.00 per week. Waitresses and cashiers in the Summerside area, $18.00 per week of 48 hours; cashiers $20.00 per week of 48 hours for 60 days probationary, thereafter $21.00 per week. Cashiers $23.00 per week. Now, they haven't done anything there. Before the other Government left office, before the Shaw Government left office, they also put a rate in for Government employees and for the rates that would be paid by contractors dealing with the Government. These put the basic wage, the basic hourly wage at $1.25 an hour. Now, in that regard, when the Shaw Government came into power in 1959, the rate paid by the Dept. of Highways, Public Works, the hourly rates for an ordinary worker was 75^ an hour. Now, in the seven years that they were in power they brought the wage scale, the basic wage scale, from 75<- to $1.25, an increase of 50c1, from 75 up to $1.00. Now, since that time, and every year there was a gradual increase and that gradual increase was done in such a way that it did not disrupt the economic- standard of the people for whom those people work, because the firms pretty nearly always copy the Government rate and for that reason it is done in a gradual way. Since then nothing has been done. Nothing has been done to help the laborers in that regard. Now, we will certainly expect some activity because in two years the cost of living has gone up probably from eight to ten percent in that time, but with no increase in wages. Hon . J. Elmer Blanchard : Would the Honourable Member permit a question? M. Alban Farmer : Surely. Hon . J. Elmer Blanchard : Remarks inaudible. M. Alban Farmer : Pardon ? Hon . J. Elmer Blanchard : Well, first of all, do you know how the minimum wage is set? M. Alban Farmer : Yes, I do. Hon . J. Elmer Blanchard : How? —171—