TELEGRAMS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1920, Page 3

TELEGRAMS

[PKII FUJSBB ASSOCIATION. COPVBIGIIT.] , AN ILLEGAL OCCUPATION. | AUCKLAND, Dec. 1. John Loughlin and Joseph Dixon were admitted on a charge that they carried on an illegal occupation of bookmaking, in a second hand shop in Victoria Street. j The police stated that a document was seized in the raid of the accused premises which disclosed extensive beti ting operations. The accused were both experienced men who fully knew their chances. Loughlin was fined £3OO or ■. twelve months in gaol, and Dixon was i fined £IOO or six months. The defendI ants were allowed a week to pay the fines. PUKEKAWA MURDER. I AUCKLAND December Ist. | The, proceedings ,at the iPu'kekjawa. murder ti'ial this morning was mostly cross examination of Hazard, expert, as to the effect of a' number 7 Piters cartridge, evidently suggesting another used the suggestion which drew “hear, hear” from two jurymen. THE CEMENT SHORTAGE. AUCKLAND, Nov. 29. The supply of cement for building purposes is being restricted owing to the inability of Wilson’s (N.Z.) Portland Cement Company to secure an adequate supply of coal for their works. At the present time the company’s Warkworth works are closed, and the total output of cement from their works is only fifty per cent of what it was in normal times. The annual demand for cement for the Dominion is between 160,000 and 170,000 tons, and the total shortage is estimated at from 40,000 to 50,000 a year.

THE BONUS QUESTION

W) ISLINGTON, Dec. 1

At tho resumed hearing by the Arbitration Court of the employers appeal against the payment of 9s weekly bonus, the Government Statistician said that at the request of the Court, the last calculation of 9s was computed on lines of the' estimate for the previous half year. If it was the intention of the Court that the computation should have been made on the six monthly average, the Acting. Statistician misunderstood the instructions and the bonuses declared were computed on a wrong basis. If the moving average index numbers of food alone had been Used, the bonus would have been substantial as shown by Mr Pryor, namely, MarchSept- 1919 nil; Sept. 1919 -March 1920 1.8 pence; March to Sept. 1920, 3.33 pence. j In the Arbitration Court, Mr Justice Stringer replying to Mr Reardon, said the Acting Statistician must have completely' misunderstood the position if he assumed he was authorised to depart from the method of calculation agreed upon. Mr Fraser, replying*; to Mr Stringer, said if a- moving average had been used for calculation the increased cost of living would have been practically as Mr Pryor bad conended.

! Reardon in opening the case for the j Unions declared the agitation against the bonus was most reckless, obviously ' artificial. Although the Employers Federation said the Court’s pronouncement ! came ns a staggering blow. Yet many of the employers were already paying 1 the bonus. Wages .do not remedy unemployment besides which the wor—- ■ kers must have food and clothing. I Reardon suggested an examination of ! the balance sheets of principal firms. In the industries mentioned by Pryor evidence given by the Secretary on the Furniture and Trades Federation 1 denying Pryor’s statement that unemployment existed. 1 In those trade McCombs contended . that a ten per cent increase of wages : was unaffected by cost of living only ly ' one per c ent. He hoped the Court will not b.e stamped by entirely spurious legislation. ! OBITUARY, i AUCKLAND, Dec. 1. Obituary.—Daniel Ryan, the local anager of the Huddart Parker Steam--1 ship Ltd.