Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1920. WAGES BONUS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1920, Page 2

Hokitika Guardian & Evening Star THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1920. WAGES BONUS.

The mistake made in the Statistician s office regarding the wages bonus will have disoonceu-ting effects.. Justice Stringer of the Arbitration Court in dealing with the matter this week referred to the statement from the employers’ side that the previous computation was erroneous. The judge said, “it was shown clearly that, owing to an 'unfortunate misunderstanding, which was explained, at the hearing the Ixmuses granted to workers for the periods ending September, 1919, and March, 1920, were based upon tlculations made by the Acting-Government Statistician on the basis of monthly index figures, instead of, as intended by the Court, the moving average index figures for food, rent, fuel and light and clothing, and further that the bonus now under consideration had been arrived at on the same erroneous basis. It is not disputed that if the computation of bonuses had been made on the moving average index numbers, as intended by the Court, the bonus for each period would have been as follows :

March-September, 1919—J.d per hour, or 2s per week. September 1919, March 1920—lid per hour, or 6s per week.

March 1920-September 1920—ljd per hour, or 7s per week. “It is evident, therefore, that the correct bonus for the last period is 7s and not 9s as previously announced; but since the total amount of the bonus over the whole period should have been 3d per hour, or 15s per week, end since 2 1 ,d per hour, or 10s per week is already being jiaid, the proper amount to be paid for the last period is the difference of lid per hour, or ss. per week.” It is unusual to find a high court of this nature confessing past errors and proceeding to correct them, The onus for the correction has been thrown on the judge, for the two laymen with him who constitute the Court stand aloof from the judgment, though they agreed that Mr Justice Stringer should decide the matter. The practice of determining the cost of living in relation to prevailing prices was fixed by a simple rule, but this was misunderstood by the officers deputed to work out the intricate calculations. The rise was fixed according to the increase on the monthly index figures, instead of the moving average over a period. of six months. There has to be a determining factor in these matters, just as it is laid down with our money table values, weight and measures and so on, but unless we work out on the accepted basis the calculations will soon go awry. So in arriving at a set of figures to indicate the cost of living, an elaborate system of costs is worked down through the various groups to an index figure, and in determining the figure of average cost, the index figures were to be guaged over a period of average for six months. Instead, a single months average was taken. This might cut both ways. The particular month taken might be a peak month, or it might bo a minimum month, and so to strike a fairer average a period of longer time was determined upon. At the best these bonus additions are but an artificial means of dealing with a very complex question, and this experience shows how easily it has been to make confu.Nion worse confounded. It reproduces the vicious circle in a very palpable form. The cost of living goes up and wages rise. Thereby cost of living rises again, because the cost of production grows, and so wages have to he put up again. It is an aggravating circumstance all the time and is not even a pallative, for it makes matters worse immediately. The artificial is always false, and in this matter it .creates a particularly false position which causes the Si-effects t 0 spread far and

wide more rapidly. A halt must be called sooner *r later or the whole fabric will he brought down by its own weight.

The “Argus” yesterday devoted something more than two columns of its ' space to reply to this paper on the harbor rating issue. Such close attention suggests that there must have been considerable force and argument in the preliminary points raised by us on the subject. And to do the “Argus” , credit it is evident from its lino of com- , nient that it appreciates our statement ( of the ease even in a good deal of detail. We do not know, now that the Royal , i Commission has been set up, that much ] good can result at this stage from a newspaper controversy, but what the i . “Argils” says could be used with a good deal of force as. evidence or the basis of evidence, for the case for j Westland. Apart from the rating issue which will depend on ' the question of boundaries to he determined by the Commission, the “Argus” rather oversteps a fair statement of the position when it writes about Hokitika * dodging its share of porp dues! Hokitika. has not made any attempt in that direction, nor, if it is receiving any special concessions at present, were those asked for from here. .The existing tnriff was fixed as a means to compete with the Hokitkn. port, so that the Government railway might reap a harvest in railway freights, instead of steamers carrying freights to Hokitika. That contingency is present all the time still, and if the railway raises its freights unduly, or if wharfage charges at Greymouth become an extra heavy impost, there will be the opening for shipping freight to.Hokitika, at all events till the Otira tunnel is in practical

use. This great portal to the future trade of the. Coast, the “Argus” is. disposed to discount'but all competent authorities, such as students of railway traffic, importers and exporters, are in accord that from the very outset the tunnel traffic will be in a state of semi-congestion so great will be the volume of freightage. This enormous -rad-' ing must affect the port of Greymouth and render it of less utility to places remote from the port, and not using it as a means for coal export. We have not shown antipathy nor f elfishness regarding Greymouth port. Let those immediately concerned in its direction and management, and who are deriving constant, benefit from its trad- , ing, not seek to dodge their liability and responsibility. Tt has been stated quite .plainly that those remote from the shipping centre who use the port in a casual rather than a regular way, and who are without any affinity in local interests can he covered by the port charges which arc in the hands of tlic Board. This is the most equitable way, and such people should not be' taxed all the time for something they are not deriving direct benefit from. They would pay for any convenience they derived, and if that became th e general rule for the outside places, the position would .be fairly met. Really, if there is any dodging it is being done rather adroitly by our Greymouth friends. As to “the loan legacy” being a bogey, let our contemporary digest section 7 of the hill, and it will see how the loan legacy fills the picture for the iluture. With the peroration of the “Argus” we agree entirely—“no district should try to improve obligations where they do not rightly exist”—and if the local mote is not obliterating the sight of its many eyes, the “Argus” will see clearly that is the point this paper has boon making all the time.

The genial weather now being experienced suggests very pointedly that if the needs of the community were as much in mind as they should bo, the Municipal baths would bo in good running order. Unfortunately the baths are in a very neglected condition. It is surely the duty of the councillors to turn some attention to this matter. They are not so much engrossed in. other civic affairs as to offer the excuse that the matter has been overlooked. Included in the Council are some gentlemen who have a personal experience of the value of the art of swimming in life-saving, to say nothing of the hoalthy sporting side of the pastime of swimming. Just now tho school holidays are in progress and the juveniles could derive much benefit were the baths at their disposal. The town, for tho lack of effective leadership the matter, lias never got'tho value out of tho municipal swimming baths it should. Cannot something be done to prevent another summer passing without full advantage being taken of such a useful asset to the community? We gather that very little effort on the part of the Borough auhorities would meet tho case, and it is a pity this amount of energy cannot he excited. We are sure the ratepayers would appreciate the effort. Parents often speak of the wint of use of the bath, which some provided at considerable cost, and which, if not in seasonable use, will fall into serious docay. In most communities the .local bodies are eager to provide and use public swimming baths where possible. Here there is no doubt as to the popularity of tho institution, and if it could fie brought into service again on re-or-ganised lines by the local body controlling it, the action would he very widely appreciated by those concerned.