CASE FOR THE EMPLOYERS DETAILED

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11194, 27 April 1922, Page 7

CASE FOR THE EMPLOYERS DETAILED

•A speoial sitting of the Court of Arbitration was held in Wellington yesterday to afford those concerned an opportunity of discussing the recent pronouncement of the court respecting the reduction of cost of living bonuses. Broadly, the representatives of the employers sought a reduction in the money paid to wage-workers and the representatives of the employees opposed this. However, discussion ranged' round the pronouncement, from which the following is a material extract:—“Comparing the two half-yearly periods of April and September, 1920, and October, 1921, and March, 1922, we find that the cost of living, measured in wages, has fallen to an extent that would reduce the accumulated bonus of 15s per week to 8s per week—that is, by 7s per week. As, however, 13s was paid, instead of 15s, the actual reduction is 5s per week. The court has discriminated between adult males, adult females, and juniors in awarding past bonuses; and if the same principle is followed in reducing wages, the amount of reduction will be as under: Adult males, 5s per week; adult females, 2s 6d per week; Juniors, 1s 6d per week. The oourt, in computing past bonuses alterations, has used six-monthly figures for the purpose of comparison, and we have made an alternative computation based on the monthly If the figures for March, 1922, are taken, instead of the six-monthly moving average for the period of October, 1921, to Marsh, 1922, the reduction is greater by 2s per week in the case of adult males, and Is per week in the case of adult females and juniors.”