AWARDING THE BONUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17623, 9 November 1920, Page 4

AWARDING THE BONUS.

General inconvenience and embarrassment will be caused by the Arbitration Court's withdrawal of the proposed procedure for the granting of the cost-of-living bonus. Last week the Court advised unions to file their applications immediately for consideration " when and where the exigencies of the business of the Court will permit," adding that delay might involve loss of the right to retrospective payment to November 1. Now instructions have been issued that the Court will deal with applications only at the ordinary sittings in each district. In the case of the Auckland district, this means that orders for the payment of the bonus will not be available for probably four months. Naturally both employers and employees object to the reversion to a cumbrous and dilatory method. Even those employers who may intend to seek relief from the Court must protect themselves against an adverse decision, and generally provision must be made for the ultimate payment of the arrears of bonus wages. Consequently, the process of passing on" this element of production costs will involve an increase in prices without compensation to the consumer, even in respect of commodities manufactured or distributed by workers to whom the Court may refuse the bonus. If there is any general objection to the amount or the application of the bonus, a, more reasonable procedure would be for the Court to hear argument by representatives of employers and employees at the earliest opportunity, and after due consideration issue a ruling that would provide a reliable basis for the whole Dominion. Some such ruling must be given by the Court upon the first application submitted to it, and unless a wider representation is arranged, that ruling is likely to be guided by the arguments of the parties to individual awards. Such a special sitting of the Court as is suggested would provide opportunity for the expression of the various opinions regarding the amount of the bonus, and a useful purpose would be gained if the methods of calculation were elucidated. Its chief purpose should b'e to secure, as nearly as possible, the simultaneous operation of the Court's finding throughout the Dominion. *