The Royal Commission on Equal pay has finished its deliberations and is drafting its report which should be ready for presentation to Parliament about the middle of November. This Royal Commission of five men and four women, with Mr Justice Asquith as chairman, was appointed in October 1944 after the Coalition Government had been defeated by one vote in the House of Commons on an amendment to the Education Act which proposed to give equal pay to men and women teachers. The House reversed the vote later, after the vigorous intervention of Mr Churchill, but the incident resulted in the appointment of the Royal Commission.
By its terms of reference the Commission was instructed to examine and report upon the existing relationship between the remuneration of men and women in the public services industry and in other fields of employment; and the social economic, and financial implications of the claim of equal pay for equal work.
