THE NEW BONUS.

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

THE NEW BONUS.

HEARING OF APPLICATIONS.

NEXT SITTING OF COURT

OBJECTIONS TO DELAY.

Instructions have been received by the clerk of awards at Auckland from the Arbitration Court not to forward any Auckland applications for the new wages bonus to the Court elsewhere. The applications are' to be filed at Auckland, and will be dealt with by the Court at its next Auckland sittings. The Court is not expected to sit in Auckland until February.

Referring to the matter yesterday, Mr. S. E. Wright, secretary of the Employers' Association, said that if the next sitting of the Arbitration Court in Auckland was not to be held until February he thought many employers would not be at all pleased with the new decision. In the first place, if a bonus of 9s was granted in February, the retrospective payment to November I in many cases would involve a sum of money sufficiently large to cause inconvenience. Employers wanted to know exactly how they stood with as little delay as possible. In some oases the applications of unions for the bonus might be opposed, and, pending the hearing of these applications, traders would be in a quajidaxy as to how business should be carried out. CONSUMERS' POINT OF VIEW. THE ULTIMATE BURDEN. '.' I sincerely hope that the Court makes a definite ruling as to the bonus before long," remarked a business man yesterday. "As 9s has been men tioned as the amount due according to the cost-of-living statistics, it is highly probable that this sum is already being passed on. Should a lower amount be fixed there will be no rebate to the public, but whatever the amount is to be, it i.important that it should be added to the weekly pay as soon as possible, because those with families will need it even if the fortunate single men will not." CONTENTIONS OF UNIONS. CONFERENCE TO BE HELD. Objection to the policy to be followed by the Court was expressed yesterday by a number of trades union secretaries. It was stated that some applications had already been filed in accordance with the Court's first announcement that it would deal with them at whatever place it was sitting. In other cases meetings of unions had been called in order to obtain consent for the filing of the applications. The opinion was expressed that as the Court had recognised the need for the bonus it should be made immediately available and not postponed indefinitely. Otherwise the full benefit of the bonus was not obtained.

Trades unions are not satisfied that the increase in the cost of living has not been more than represented by the bonus. A conference of the 60 unions in Auckland will be held shortly and the bonus will be one of the principal subjects of discussion. Mr. J. Purtell, who is secretary to several unions, intends to place before the conference a proposal that two outside accountants should be engaged to act in conjunction with the Government Statisti cian in assessing the cost of living and further that a comparison be made of the figures for 1914 and 1920. A number of unions not registered undei the Arbitration Act have applied to then employers for payment of the bonus. Among them is the Auckland Gas Clerks' Union.

PAYMENTS TO BE DELAYED. EMPLOYERS' RECOMMENDATION. The 9s wages bonus, recently awarded by the Arbitration Court, was considered at a meeting of the executive of the Auckland Employers' Association, held yesterday morning. A resolution was carried to the effect that, in view of the serious effect of the proposed bonus on some industries, employers generally be requested to hold over payment of the bonus until more definite information regarding it is received. The bonus was mentioned at the meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council last evening, when Mr. W. J. Hammill moved that the n.»Uer be referred to the Finance Committee. He said he had been informed that the increase of 9s a week would cost the council £250 a year, and this did not include tracts. It was he said, a serious matter. The motion was carried. The Mount Albert Borough Council last evening decided to defer the payment of the latest bonus to employees until the receipt of further information on the subject.