WAR BONUS FOR BOROUGH EMPLOYEES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 10526, 2 December 1916, Page 7

WAR BONUS FOR BOROUGH EMPLOYEES.

A special meeting 01 the Borough ('nun (il was hold l.i-l e\ <■n ill .!_•, there being presenl : Tin' Mnvor (in the. chair); Crs. I rabb, Seifert, Uolfo, Clausen, Broad, Kendall, Bryant, and O'Reilly, The principal busi ness ol the evening was a notice of motion standing in the Mayor's name: "That owing to the increased cost of Jiving, Ihc Council consider (lie advisability of a further increase in the war bonus given to the employees."

I The Mayor said he would suggest an in crease of 5 per cenl to Ihe Borough emJ ployers, making 12;. per o-.u in a.l, und I idso a bonus of. say, 5 per cent to the staff. lAt present the -lair was getting nothing i extra, und he considered tiie tonus would aflirm the principle that ihev were entitled jo an ;„..■..■- and would ?ivo a lend to the .incoming Council. The cost ul livin? bad greatly incix'a-ed, ?.nd v.n 7 incr. a-im; sil] tin ! in itiiliS; ;.: ■ t bad ■i'.mr up ti pc-r cent, firing I l'J pry cent, and frh 15 per c.:nc, while the ! incn :r. in the necenau'e* of lit; I had i.v.cn IG pi i enl '!• h.-.d •Ofr- to a Untie trouble in conn linn ~■!!, tiio>e : ;>"-•■ and had noi ■] ..ply lakcxi his -.n | i<l ■' - Ijiii had r.>ti nit. d men in a .position I t.i know \h'i aily (!'<• < 'niincil |,a,t uivcii an in.-iv-a<e of ?; \',c; , «-nl In ihe men, bring in ; Lin'ir iiii In jj2 l!i u.I aw. el;, lull lii'-<'.-"i.-l nl' liviri" u. - '.miii". iiji from 11;i> to day. The Mayor quoied ihe 400 p r cenl increase in freights, and '-aid thai as freights were vitally conii'-cted '.ilh the cos I of living, the latter rnusl go up. lie had no sympathy with strikes, ' .ui he felt Ihai the leeeni award of the Ai bitratiun ( 'ourl ol £2 12s a week for drivers was (piite inadequale. No man could support himself and family on that amount. The position, so far an the Council was concerned, would be thai for f!n remainder of the financial year, the total •oM of both inn ae ■ would b< about iZ9.CH 10-'. C>n il eneral fund there v, add be a surplus of nhoul £2OO a I the end of the year. TI,- inereas: would ai o applj lo Ihe .".'works einplovees. Cr. 0 ll.illv seconded ihe motion, and considered that the staff wa> noi ico highly paid under the high <o-i. ol living, lie thoughi 5 per cenl was not 100 large an increase for the staff.

j (V. Clausen was opposed to the increase. I Win-re were they going lo end if these coil iinii.il increases were to go on. The raising ol the minimum wage was not .si fair thing. A man should be paid according to what he was worth. The Mayor: Wo all agree with yon there. but we don't run the Aibhration Conn. (V. ('lansen said, further, it behoved all under the present stressful conditions to do their b -i. A great inan,\ working men were not doing anything to help themsi Ives. He had walked round the town at -even o'clock on a siinm moi ning. but had nit m'--u a soul plain in;; a few potatoes. I r. Unite said when the lii.-i increase v.a given m Hie Borough employers-, ii was only in those •-'< Itiiig £l3O and under. Did tin- liiiiiui increase appl\ onl\ : , these lower salaried men ': only lo iho-e employees who rei eived tin lirs'i bonus. i V. I! ilfe r.aid he was quite in a. coi d with (he propo-al to in- r< ase the wages. lb suggested, however, in ,view of the -inula 1 ;. of labour, thai the employees work an.hour a day extra for an increase in wages, thus sharing in the general .sacrifice. "I'm more a believer in more work for more pa\'. titan les- work for more pay." ( i. !'n vain consider, d i hat at a i ime like (his all -lemld b.. prepared lo make sacrifices, hut on mall wages the m u wen hardly able to suppl.\ the necessaries of life. r | hose, hj we ei', who received higher wages had their ■<-. aiie- saTe. and the;, should 1,., prepared in make saci dices. (~-. I Valib: Is ~ intetiih-d that the stall increase should be limited to the lower-paid - rvants in the same way a.- the employees'.' The Mavor said that was nol the intention. All the stall' tJiniild receive the 5 per ( ,'. Broad : Why undo' a distinction )><•- nhy; ic.il and menial labom '.' A Couneilloi : Where is liie distinction? ( ',. 1',,. d : You are giving one class a I2i per cent iiicrer.it and the other only 5 per

( Y tYalili said w! -n Iho 7J per oe ~„;..,. I .1 been given ho had advoeabd ,!,•., ji !-,,. 10 per eeiil, si lln- A rl.iilr.nlion I ~,,,-j hj ~| reeomim nded, :imi ho wa* fully i,i sympall.y with (In* lurlhci increase lo , mpjovi'i s. bui. he warned Iho Council that ,;,,,,,. v.,-. u . jncurriiip, n heavy liability. Ii ~.,,1,1,1 bo i nio lime I'Vrn aft' r iho war !•£■ j ~-e fho fwt of living pot buck io normal .anclaril?. ami tho workmen would elann ~.! would bo •ib!-' io substantiate iheir riaitn lo roiain ilo- increases now uivon. estimated ihnl Iwlh Uw increases proposed W oukl moan an r-ddiiiom.l liability <>l £]2so per annum While iho n needed l|„. ~,{ leave, < '.'•. < rabb said be was op- , „,.,,i lo ii- bonus ol S per eent in ijii -.iall Willi higher Milan.* (ho L-..M <. luma 'li« „o( iifi'r, ! Ihem so niiK'h. W hile they vnv , -tl) 11.0 iil-'UM v ttfOO ■• yoav provide., lot il„, iuctvasod toil nf livin» and lor luxuries |„ side? .-.nd for tbni reason he conlfl m>i n ,r ro p iollie bonu- • i Iho hitrh sala.ried men '"ill reply lo f . stiou. Iho Mayor § «iiil ,),,,„. oliieoi of ih- stall were roeoiviii"' „voi £220 p< r annum. ( ■.. |;.,i„,l favoured ..•■ incvonfo to nil ex- ,,.,,, ' r |,e ihree hinhlv paid ollieiak Ho ~'roiirh uiMod. howevor, ihal iho ...en woi-lviii-,' in iho olliee should •,;>■ '-<"" In, 1-it.m" a.- the nub ido employee . Ii wai ,-i. woil-known fa. i thai olerk- io banks wore ,;,, w -or«i paid oi their prob «ion. \ol the »|iolo • '■ tiio banks had lee.-ntly eiv.-e ih.-ir ~,.111's -i tvai bor.US. The Council had : ■■■ .' ~!„,,„, sialT. wliieli ivas noi In r.ny mr-nii.« I ion To 8 WaTrV£'"al| a^.??oyi--V;' oV i I.N iVor ~„„i, (inclndiuo ih- ofhee ir.li) m-eiving nnder ,221) per mum... jvr.-iv. a war boiim ~: J2i p. r eein. ami ' In- v -- ei-inni, i. U,„son alone di>ser.lin;r. ■i ~ Mayor ti .'ii moved thai ih- -i. II i< f ..Pivins over iJ-20 pe. tuii'.iiiii tm-ivr a o ~..,- [-cut war bonus. (~ Komiall seeoncled the motion. I-,-' Seif.'H sai i he was opposed to tin motion lie agi icd with the inci-ease lo ,!,;. lower-paid employees. No do.ibl tie L-o-a of livintr hifl Rone up- '-"U '," lh '"' ;;M I, t ],e higher-paid employees Iho matter w different. If Ukv "' o, '° n f P."" 1 ""' ■ ; ' .union ... salary their wuc[cs should bo in-e,-ea<ed, but he was no| in favour ol .i «i l, onils . ||, move,! a- an nmondmenl Hu.i ,;„■ matte, be hold over till noxi year. On a division boinp taken the an.endmem