ADJUSTMENT OF WAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18080, 3 May 1922, Page 8

ADJUSTMENT OF WAGES.

» L PROCEEDINGS IN COURT. MR. T. BLOQDWOBTH'S REPORT. A conference of Trade Union executives was he'd at the Trades Hall last evening to hear the report of Mr. T. Blood worth, the Auckland representative, on the discussion before the Arbitration Court in Wellington on the pending pronouncement in regard to the cost ©i living bonus. Mr. B. Martin presided. Mr. Bloodworth made it clear that he could only report on the proceedings;-he could make no comm<«it on the possible outcome of the discussion. After detailing the case put for the employers, which he »aid was very ably prepared and delivered, Mr. Bloodworth said it was pointed oat that the Court '*was not tied to a 5s reduction in the Donus, but if they stopped at • that ■ figure the reduction to the workers under awards throughout the Dominion would! total £54,757 14s per week. This would mean a loss of about. £8000 weekly to Auckland retailers. The Judge had commented on the unfairness of basing their calculations on 1912 household budgets, and had stated that an attempt had been made in 1919 to compile a fresh budget, and as a result 20,000 books had been issued to householders in which they could enter their househoM expenses, but onlv about 100 of these had been returned with the information correctly filled in. The Judge had been impressed with the need for a better basis, and it was thought that wilhin a few weeks a new set of books would be issued for the purpose of arriving at the actual cost of living. The labour representatives had pointed out that it was not fair to ask the workers to go back to the 19.14 standard when certain classes of the community had already reached the 1950 standard. The labour representatives had asked that a cost of living commission should be set up to ascertain what was a fair standard of living as against a living wage which the employers were now askine the workers to accept. They also requested that the Court should ask the Government to publish a verbatim report of the proceedings, as it* was thought this would he'p all to understand ' the really very important-isisues laid before the Court. The speaker said he bad the privilege of attending- the three bi<? conferences the 9s bonus case, the stabilisation case avid the recent discussion<ind he believed th«* last one to be the keenest and | test of the three. The president knew bis subject thoroughly. The discussion was not marked bv anv show of feeling between the parties, but was carried out in the best of good humour and good 1 taste. '..;.*.,