WORKERS' NEW BONUS.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 November 1920, Page 5

WORKERS' NEW BONUS.

TO MEET HIGHER PRICES ®s WEEKLY FOR MEN. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, Last Night. Mr. Justice Stringer made an announcement in the Arbitration Court to-day regarding the new wages bonus •payable as from November 1, owing to a further increase in the cost of living. The new bonus for male adult workers is fixed at 2}d an hour, or 9s weekly. Females over 20 years will receive 4s Od, and under 20 years 3s. Youths and apprentices get 3s. In announcing the bonus the Arbitration Court stated it was necessary for unions which consider- their members are entitled to these bonuses to file in the Court a formal application therefor, and this should be done without delay, in order that the employers may have timely notice of the intended application and early opportunity of making such arrangements as they may think proper. The majority of the employers, no doubt, as in previous cases, will pay the increased bonus without waiting for the formal order of the Court, but those employers who may consider they have good grounds for contesting the grant of the bonus to their workers, and do contest it, will not, in the event of the decision of the Court being against them, have any ground for complaining, as is Sometimes done, of the unfairness of the ordering of retrospective payment of bonuses. Representations have been made to the Court tiiat owing to the increase since September 30 last in the price of butter, which forms a substantial item in the household expenditure, a special bonus should be granted to meet this increase. This, however, is obviously impracticable, as the Court cannot grant a bonus based upon the increased price of any particular commodity. The halfyearly periods for which the Court computes any bonuses granted were selected by the Government Statistician as being the most equitable division of the year to ensure that seasonal and other exceptional fluctuations of the market should not unduly affect the result for any particular period. It is true that the price of butter has increased, but it is impossible to iyiy how long this may continue, and, on the other hand, some other commodities have falleiu in price, and it is only the net result "of all the factors involved, extending over the selected periods, upon which the Court can act in determining the amount of any coi-t of living bonus. It is frequently stated that the effect of increasing; the wages of workers is still further to increase the cost of living, and therefore that relief to the worker is merely temporary. This is undoubtedly true to some extent, but not to the extent commonly supposed.