TELEGRAMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 October 1922, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

a y TELEGRAPH Pit CHS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. ARF. 1T R ATI ON CO CRT. WELLINGTON, Oct. 9. Tile Arbitration Court announces 11 reduction hi coal miners wages, equal to one shilling per week, as compared with Ids weekly in the last pronouncement. This order is made ill accordance with the provision of the clause headed, variation of rates and will operate from November Ist next .

The Court says flic rates fixed byawards and industrial agreements are in the case of time rates. 60 percent above the rates payable in 1914, and in pbe case of piecework rates 50 per cent. These’ increas s were adopted from the national agreement made in February 1920. which provided for incre.iscs oil basis of the price statistics for food for the month of January 1920. which then showed an increase of 57.6 per <ent over the prices ruling in July 19LI. The Court accordingly decided to base subsequent six monthly increases and deductions of rates en the percentage increase or decrease disclosed by the Government Statistician’s returns of toed prices lor tlie month of March and September in each year. The 57.76 p°r cent increase of January 1920 was represented by an increase of <11.21 per cent in March 1922, and by an increase c:f 39.11 per cent in September, 1922. The reduction in the rates of cal miners made by the last order of the Court w:rs more than the reduction made hy the general order affecting workers in other industries whose c st of living adjustments are based on all groups of statistics. Owing to the drop in food prices having been very much smaller during the past G months than it was during the preceding periods, the reduction in miners rates is on this occasion a very small one. From the figures given in the illustration, the reduction in miners rates is on this occasion a very small olio. From the figures given in the illustration the reduction works out at 2d per day on time rates and Id per day on l hocwork.

TV 11TTE BA I TER DROWNED. WANGANUI. October 9. Un- ho iT: Walter Edward Verry. aged 26. «as drowned, while whitebaiting in Wnitoti-ra river yesterday. T, c b dv was recovered. \ CLAIM FOR COSTS. CHRISTCHURCH, October 9. Judgment for plaintiffs was given by Mr Widdowson in the case of Sargent Slater and Dale (solieilois) versus Andrew Bo'g, a claim for £llß Is 6d, representing tlie casts incurred in successfully defending divorce proceedings brought by Borg against bis wife. The Magistrate bold that the agreement for separation was due to a wrongful act or conduct of the husband, and the wife had the necessary implied authority to pledge her husband's credit in defendin'' l''e action. \ CHILI) KILLED. HASTINGS. October 9.

Douglas Richmond, the three years son of TV. Richmond, driver of the Fire Brigade motor engine, was taken by his father for a trial spin on the engine yesterday morning. When making a swerve on the road, the child shot out and a wheel passed over him. death being instantaneous

CHRISTCHURCH, October 10. Obituary. James Storey of Evansdnle a Crimean xeteran. in bis 92 year.