BONUS AND PRICES

Evening Star, Issue 18093, 7 October 1922, Page 8

BONUS AND PRICES

BASIS OF COURT’S PRONOUNCEMENT. FALL IN ALL GROUPS BUT RENT. Tn mikintr bis announcement at WeiE\sU^!"i s Sv" oi methods of g treatment were same as for former investigation, and wo deseribod in detail in our pronouncement of April 5' last. As on other occasions, the court worked on the pnncip'le> six-monthly average-;that 1S > !f e f increase or decrease in the cost of Ii g for the past sue months is tatam a« a index of the increase or i wages for the ensuing _ six months. As hJ been pointed out in tho paat, thi system operates somewhat workers on a rising market, but is n their favor on a falling markeb. In the former case their wages keep/falling be hind the increasing cost of living, though this is usually offset by the greater regularity of employment, more overtime, and a tendency on the part of the employers to pav more than the award wages to a large percentage of their employees ; while in the latter case they stars their halfvear with wages some points ahead ot the current cost of living, and with the advantage of increases mouth by month. With the exception ot rent, all the groups and sub-groups show a decrease frora ’the figures of the preceding half-year. Crockery heads the list with a drop ot 16.72 per cent., followed closely by household ironmongery, with 15.06 per cent. Fuel and light have fallen 11.55 per cent., furnishing 6.88 per cent., clothing and : drapery .6.74 per cent., newspapers and i periodicals 2.20 per cent., and train and tram, fares 0.33 per cent. Rent shows an increase ot 2.06 per cent. Giving each group and suh-group its proper weighting, we find that all the groups combined show a decrease of 3.75 per cent, for the six months. Compared with the July, 1914, figures, the average figures for the past six months are slightly under do per cent, above the standard, as against 67 per cent, of the preceding half-year. If measured in wages, the cost of living has fallen during the past half-year to an extent that would reduce the adult male wage by 3s per week, if the principle adopted in former wage revisions is followed. The corresponding reductions for adult females and juniors are Is 6d and Is per week icspectively.’ “This pronouncement is not a judgment or an order of the court, but is simply a statement of the movement in the cost of living as represented in wages. “We wall hold a sitting in Wellington during November, at which wjie will hear the representatives of the employers and the workers if they desire to be heard in regard to other considerations that should •weigh with the court in determining whether wages are to be reduced, and, if so, by what amount. The date of the sitting will bo announced as soon as wo are in a position to determine the approximate duration Of the forthcoming Auckland session” i \ TRADES COUNCIL CONFERENCE, ' A Wellington message states that a conference has been convened by the Trades and Labor Council to discuss what action will be taken with reference to the Arbitration Court pronouncement. It was decided to hold a public meeting on Sunday .week to discuss the pronouncement on the cost of living variation, and that if any reduction in wages is foreshadowed steps be taken to prevent the enforcement of (such reductions on the ground that wages fat present are insufficient to provide a 1-fair standard of living, especially as unemployment is so rife. A committee was :set up to confer with the Alliance of Labor on the matter of arranging for an 1 advocate to contest Labor’s case against '.the reduction.