COST-OF-LIVING BONUS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17650, 10 December 1920, Page 6

COST-OF-LIVING BONUS.

EARLY DECISION PROMISED.

BASIS OF COMPUTATION'.

NO CHANGE TO BE MADE. [BT TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON. Thursday. When the Arbitration Court sat today, tho President-, Mr. Justice Stringer, said the Court had not yet- been able to arrive at a decision in regard to the genj eral question of the bonus, hut would be able to do so in a few days. Farther special applications would be adjourned until Monday, when judgment would probably be given on the main issue. In regard to the contention on behalf of the workers that the original b.- !&S 0 { computation was unsound, inasmuch, as the period selected for that computation included the epidemic period, when price* greatly fluctuated, the President said the Court had conferred with thp Government | Statistician, and he might as np ; | stats j at once that it was not necessarv to ~o into the points raised, for the reason that, rightly or wrongly, the Court adopted a certain, basis in 1319. and :t ; was quite impossible to review that ' oasis. If the Court, insisted op retaining I the basis, then it must assume iti' e ! Statistician's figures were correct. > Mr. Reardon : I suppose that is the j position if the Court cannot see it* war I to alter the basis.

I The President said any alteration now . would lead to all sorts of complications. Mr. Reardon said he must- necessarily ! accept the computation of the Govern- ! ment Statistician. j Mr. MeCombs said that if the Court j found it impossible to alter the basis :t j could not very well alter the bonuses I already granted. If two mistakes nad been made they should stand. Thie President: We will go into the whole question. When Mr. Reardon attempted to show that the employers' agitation against the bonus commenced before the Court, made its announcement, the President said he did not, want to go into that question, regarding it as an insult to suggest thatthe Court- was likely to be influenced bv any agitation. The Court strongly resented such an inference.