THE NEW BONUS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 17021, 18 December 1920, Page 5

THE NEW BONUS.

i ADDRESS BY MR J. McCOMBS, | ; m.p. | I Before a good audienre at the Cboral j ' Hail Inst nichtj Mr J. McCombs, j ; for Lvttelton, gave an address on tho | ;9s bonus. Cr. H. T. Armstrong pre- j ; sided. i After detniling the proceedings lead- : ing up to tho Court's decision, Mr Mc- | Combs said that by adoptTng tho, £i£ ; monthJv average number ending _ : 1010, the cltcet was to use tho epKleinlo i price weak index number as ttie a» Sof cakuia turns, and tne i (tOV 1 c i Statistician adiuitted that that b as j most unsuitable. The adoption o : abnormal price of peak had tlio * , | eiiect oi roducuig all c ? i bomi&es by giving a high bguio f uivisor. • The facts showed tuiuwit a ( i a;i v reasonable method jot compui-ation i ; tho bonus should not bo , t " aa ' ! "\Vhen tho 9s bonus was granted the em- , i plovers stirred up an agitation. , j legislation was deinanued, '• Minister announced that whatever wa j i done .vould be without prejudice to tiio i !9s bonus just granted. Before j i legislation was passed the, <i Association had already their plans p j pared in readiness for tho passing o itlie new Act. ' A Voice: They bribed the Court. I Mr McCombs: I don't, know about ; that, but they certainly prepared tor i this particular piece of lc S lsla * l ° n ;, Continuing. Mr McCombs said tho 9s bonus was not unexpected by the X.m plnyti's Association, and Mr Pryor hinv self had said that by tbo made by Mr F. Cqoper, of Chnstchurch, the bonus would be 9s. A Voice: Sherlock Holmes. Mr McCombs: No, just a matter of calculation. , Continuing, Mr McCombs said. lie was much disappointed with the decision cr the Court. * A voice: Throw it overboard. Mr McCombs: When the workers know the facts, they will not have the respect for the Arbitration Courfc thev ought to 'have, as an institution, designed as it was for adjusting tno relationship between employers and employees. I am not going so far as to sav wo should throw it overboard. A voice: That's tho best to do for lt; Mr McCombs: "I for ono firmly bolievc iti tho principl© of arbitration, ana will do nil I can to improve the machinery for giving effect to a principle 1 belicvo to be sound, but i cannot lieln thinking the recent decision must help to destroy confidence. in a tribunal which lias given, in my ®P in ' < yp> an utterly one sided decision. On t-ne •question of the cffect of tho bonus on Industries, Mr McCombs said the last two eensus returns showed that the proportion of wages to the value of the output was tinder 15 per cent., and claimed that a 10 per cent, increase in wages would not amount to more than. 2 per cent., of the value of the output.The workers were certainly not getting a fair sJhare of the values they were creating. An effort was being made to show that high prices were the result of high wages, but the contrary was the t case. Price*? of primary products of New Zealand were governed by the world's markets, and tlhe price of imported foodstuffs was not affected by tho wages paid in this country. Taking it all round, an increase of 10 per cent, in wages could not mean more than an increase of 1 per cent, in the goods. The workers of the Dominion should demand that their wages now should be on a parity witlh the wages of 1914. (Loud applause.) . On any fair method of computation the workers were entitled to the 9s bonus, .and he was glad to see that tho Plasterers' Union intended to demand and to get the 9s. (Applause.) As a matter of equity j\nd common justice, all employers should pay out the" 9s bonus. The chairman said the Labour Party considered the bonus should bo paid and intended to get it. The-demand could only be defeated •by the apathy of the workers. In reply to a question, Mr McCombs said the wage fixed by tho Court was the minimum, and tho workers could follow the example of the Plasterers' Union and demand the 9s. There was the case of the railwaymen, .who were given Id by the Court and took 3d. Highly organised unions could get on without the Arbitration Court, but other groups of workers would find the Court an advantage. Tho chairman said the employers liked the Arbitration Court to-dav because they had made the Court to "their own liking. When the 1 Labour Party was in power and made the Arbitration Court to their liking the opponents of the Court would then be the Employers' Association. Ma - D. G-. Suljfivan; M.P., moved: "That as by any reasonable method of computation the 9s bonus is due and should bo maintained this meeting is of opinion that every effort should be made to secure its payment." The motion was carriod unanimously. Mr E. J. Howard, M.P., said the Ministers and members of Parliament fixed their own wages. Tho moral was for the workers to do likewise. He moved that every effort should be made to secure for the workers a parity of wages with the rates prevailing in 1914. This motion also was carried and a vote of thanks was accorded Mr McCombs for his address and for Lis advocacy of the workers' claims before the Arbitration Court.