WORK AND WAGES.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 March 1919, Page 5

WORK AND WAGES.

WAGES AND COST OF LIVING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington. March ti. '1 he Arbitration Court has been recently considering the reecnt amendment to the statute in connection with wages lind the cost of living. Now the court lias ib-iu'd a statement on the subjectThe evidence of the Government .Statistician showed that, notwithstanding several increases granted during the war to workers in different industries they are now in a worse position tinancially than at the beginning of the war, inasmuch as real wages, as apart from noniirnl wages, had been reduced. The court interprets the recent statute to mean that in the absence of any counteracting consideration the wages of workers in future s:ioulii be increased in correspondence with the increase, since t.he making of the several awards, in the cost of living. In the cases under review—the furniture trade, plumbers, gusfitters. carpenter?, and joiners, coachworkers. iron and brass moulders, and others—the court, therefore, granted increases in wages, making them approximately equal in purchasing power to the existing wages at the time when the latter were granted. The court fixed a flat rate of Is 7%d per hour for these skilled workers, and granted, in addition, a bonus of 2%d per houT, which may be raised according to eircuffißtaucesi frm time to time.