ARBITRATION COURT.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 November 1921, Page 5

ARBITRATION COURT.

A NEW AWARD. FOR OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND MINERS. By Telegraph—Press Association. Dunedin, Last Night. The Arbitration Court filed five awards covering the Otago and Southland coal mines. This is the first award made since the trouble arose. The principle conveyed in the court memorandum states that the court has endeavored to advise the spirit of the general conditions of the national agreement of 1920, so far as applicable. The districts rates of pay were fixed as nearly as possible on ' the 1914 rates, plus 50 per cent, for piece-workers and 60 per cent, for time workers. “The increases provided for in the national agreement appear to be based on the food prices current in January, 1920, when the increase over the prices for July, 1914, was 57.76. We have provided for alterations in the rates after April, 1922. based on corresponding statistics. If in March, 1922, the increase over the 1914 food prices is 47.76 as against 57.76, the following Calculations have to be made: The increases at present being paid over the standard rate are represented as 50150ths of the present piece-work rates, and 60-ldotbs of the time rates. Thus the present piece-work rate of 7s Ou is made up with 5s as the standard and 2s 6d increase. The latter will be replaced by an amount bearing to it a ratio of 47.76 to 57.76, or 2s o%d, and the new rate will be 7s By a similar calculation the new time rate will be 155.” In order to avoid confusion, the court fcas reserved power to make orders each six