THE COST OF LIVING

Otago Witness, Issue 3397, 23 April 1919, Page 55

THE COST OF LIVING

FIXING A BASIC WAGE

With regard to applications to meet the increased cost of living, the President (his Honor Mr Justice Stringer) stated at the sitting of the Arbitration Court in Dunedin at the end of last month, that the court had in view the arranging of a basis of wages for the different classes of workers —skilled, semi-skilled ,and unskilled —and then give a bonus to meet thd increased cost of living, and let that bonus vary up or down as the cost of living roso or fell, and date it for six months. The- object was to introduce some sort of uniformity. A memorandum filed cave the following particulars:—

It will also be necessary to bring the wages of the different classes of workers into lino before the application of the principle underlying the scheme. The court, therefore, have determined to fix the basic wages as follows: Skilled workers, Is 7£d per hour. Semi-skilled, Is 4£d and Is 6d per hour (according to degree of skill). Unskilled, Is 3£d per hour.

These wages are substantial increases for tho different classes °f workers upon the wages prevailing immediately prior to the war, and to some extent, although not wholly, compensate the workers for the increases in the cost of living up to the time of the passing of the recent Act. To the abova wages will now be added a bonus of per hour to compensate tho workers for the further increase in the cost of living up to March 31, 1919; and this bonus, as before stated, will bo readjusted as on September 30 and March 31 in each year, in accordance with the increase or decrease in the cost of living as ascertained by the Government Statistician as the average for the dominion, the first adjustment to take place as soon after September 30 next as is found practicable. It must be understood that the scheme above indicated is not to be rpplied as a hard-and-fast rule, but will be subject to modification if necessary, to meet special cases, or those where the working conditions of the trade affected may be unusual.

Inasmuoh as the bonus is to be given to workers as compensation for the increased cost of living, and is to be varied in conformity with tho variations from time to time in such cost of living, it has been decided to exclude the bonus from the computation of payment of overtime. In view of this, and also of the fact that recent investigations, both in England and America, have shown that the working of overtime is inimical to the health, efficiency, and contentment of workers, the court has determined to grant a substantial Increase in the amounts to be paid for overtime work, and will in future, unless good cause is shown to > the contrary, prescribe payment for overtime at the rate of time and a-half for the first three hours, and thereafter double time. This, it is hoped, will result in the of overtime being largely t reduced, except in specially urgent cases, in which the employer may reasonably be expected to make special provision for the extra remuneration to the workers concerned.

The present statement has no application to questions arising with regard to the wages of females, which, in the opinion of the court, appear in many cases to be lower than can reasonably be maintained under present conditions; nor does it apply to those workers .engaged in various occupations in which they aro in regular employment at weeklv or monthly salaries. AH such cases will be dealt with on their merits, _ and as occasion to consider them may arise.