THE NEW BONUS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16988, 10 November 1920, Page 9

THE NEW BONUS.

AUCKLAND PROTESTS.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) AUCKLAND. November 9. The Au'e'.Tand Master Builders' Association mot this morning, and entered a strong nrotest against the indefinite terms of the finding of tho Arbitration Court on' the bonus question. A point raised by one member, and unanimously endorsed, was that builders had occasion to hire workmen for periods of a month ot two on many jobs, and all accounts for many building jnbs would be squared before the bonus was m:ido operative. An instance was given of a building that would bo completed at the end of January, and oil which GO men Were employed. Tho charge lor that wcrk had already been agreed upon, and it was contended that die contractor could not possibly surcharge the bonus until ho was certain that it would be authorised. If iie had to wait till, pcriiaps, February before llie Court formally awarded the banns' to tho workmen, he would have to pay nn extra 9s a week to GO men for three months out of his own pocket. This would mean £351, which he could not recover, unless ihe surcharged tiie owner on the ground that the bonus would certainly bo given.

Auckland licensed victuallers and restaurant and private hotelkeepers met this morning to consider the wages bonus. Tho licensed victuallers met first, and discussed the situation, deciding to appoint a committee to meet tho restaurateurs and hotelkeepers. Ihe meeting was private.

The opinion was expressed by several members tihnt if the bonus were adhered to in the case of boarding-houses, tho offect would bo to put many of the owners out of business, as they oould not raise their rates to the public higher than thoy now were. An agreement was reached that the secretary should communicate with tho Arbitration Court, so that employers could appear in Wellington as soon as possiblo and secure a hearing, rather than wait until February. It was pointed out that employees of hotels, restaurants, and boarding-houf?e3 were in a different category from most employees, as they were kept at tihoir employers' expense, and the increase in the cost o-f living affected them only slightly. A joint committee of the two bodies will act together in tho case. EMPLOYEES ASK FOE * RECONSIDERATION. (press association telegram.) WELLINGTON, November 9. The New Zealand Employers' Federation has decided to ask the Arbitration Court to reconsider the bonus of 9s, recently announced .at Christchurch. If the Court agrees, the application will probably be heard in "Wellington at an early date. CHRISTCHURCH FIRE BOARD. The Superintendent reported to the Christchurch Fire Board last night that in consequence of the periodical grants made by the Arbitration Court in workers' \wages throughout the Dominion, in which permanent employees of Fire Brigades had [participated, he would recommend the Board to make a grant of 10s per week to the whole or the permapent staff as from October 29th, 1920, such cost of living bonus to be subject to the Court's decision prevailing at present. The chairman said the bonus would cost the Board some hundreds of pounds annually. Mr H. Holland: We can't help it. Tho Board adopted the report.