ARBITRATION COURT’S POWER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18511, 23 March 1922, Page 3

ARBITRATION COURT’S POWER

VARIATION OF AWARDS. COST OF LIVING QUESTION. ONE GENERAL CASE TO BE HEARD. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, March 22. The Arbitration Court to-day replied io a series of questions put to it by the Wellington Tracies Council regarding, its power to vary awards as concerning the interpretation of the 1922 Act. The court said that in regard to the adjustment of wages on the basis of increased cost of living it would hear one general case in Wellington to cover a'c awards and industrial agreements throughout the dominion. It was thought that three or four representatives of each side would be sufficient. The practice that obtained in the past in connection with applications under the War Legislation Aot, 1918, would be followed. The court would endeavour to make an announcement in regard to the movement of the cost of living about the end of the month, and on April 26 it would hear evidence and argument respecting the economic and financial conditions offering in trade and industry to all other relevant considerations. All clear cases would be excluded from the operation of the general order. In the case of applications by employers for exclusion of any class or section of workers from the operation of the general order, on the ground that a greater reduction should be made, it would be necessary to prove the existence of exceptional economic conditions. The court would have to be satisfied that the rate of remuneration would enable the workers to maintain a fair standard of living. The new legislation provided that the court should ascertain a fair standard living as against a fair living wage under the legislation now about to expire. Ihe conception of what constituted a fair standard of living might vary from time to time; but it was thought that the altered wording was intended to enable the court to maintain os far as - possible its relative standards of rates fixed by any award or made after the coming into operation of the general order. The judge left it to the Wellington Trades Council to arrange the Labour representation at the hearing on the general question.