The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY, JULY 12th, 1921. STABILISING WAGES.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 July 1921, Page 2

The Guardian AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times.” TUESDAY, JULY 12th, 1921. STABILISING WAGES.

It will be remembered that some weeks ago when the labour unions applied to the Arbitration Court for the bonus of 3s. based on the cost of living figures, it was pointed out that the workers were entitled to a part of a previous bonus amounting to 2s, which was with-held because in the previous jmm 1 - iod it hud been overpaid and the em--1 layers were entitled to recover in the succeeding six months. That period having expired, the 2s bonus ought**nutnmatieally to have become payable to the workers for the current six months and this together with the 3s bonus to which the workers were also entitled by virtue of the increase shown hv the cost of living index number, made bs to which the workers were entitled. But the Arbitration Court at its first sitting decided that as it was probable that there would be a fall in the index number during the current six months, it was within the bounds of probability that the fall would he sufficient to reduce the bonus by nearly 5s and in view of that the Court thought it ad\;sij]jle not to sauotjon the payment

61 the bonus so as to lie in a po-dtum next November to set a probable fall in the index number against this, and so prevent any reduction in th 0 wages. The Court look up the position of refusing a bonus due to meet a likely decrease in tin* bonus six months hence. A certainty was set, oil against a speouuiiioti. and listiurally the workers felt aggrieved. The unions then appealed to tin Court to ro-ooiisidt'i- its judgment. and argument in support was board on June 6th. Ten days later the Court gave its decision and refused to alter its original judgment-. In Support of its latest pronouncement tlio Court adduced, says the Mercantile Gazette, a lot of excellent economic facts, but such mental pabulum does not impress

the workers, who have been educated into believing that ft is morally right to give as little service as possible for tli,, highest wages that can he squeezed out of the employers through the Arbitration Court, or through the strike weapon. Economic truths are wasted on the workeni, what they realise is that they were entitled to a bonus oil the cost of living iigums as prepared by the Government Statistician, and the Court has refused to grant them that bonus, and instead treats them to an essay on economics. The Court in its last judgment said: “When we were preparing our pronouncement, w<* hud to consider whether aiiv bonus at all should be declared. We have grave doubts on the matter, but eventually decided that as the adoption of the six monthly moving average had in effect created a debt, it would be inequitable to cancel the debt, without first endeavouring to find a means of liquidating it, and they will not admit, in spite of the forceful economic facts marshalled by the Court that a means of liquidating that debt had been found, by simply refusing the bonus and calling the result a stabilization of wages scheme. No doubt on the economic facts the Court could not order that a bonus should be paid, but the Court has not hitherto given much thought to economic facts, at all events the granting of the bonus would have accelerated tli, rate of unemployment, and the workers would thus have been forcibly made to realise the value of the economic truths set forth by the Court, hut as it is they feel that they have been unfairly if not unjustly treated.