COST OF LIVING

Southland Times, Issue 19656, 5 October 1922, Page 5

COST OF LIVING

AWARDS AND BONUSES. ARBITRATION COURTS PROCEDURE (Per United Press Association.) • WELLINGTON, October hi the Arbitration Court to-day, Mr Chapman, in the printers’ dispute, asked whether His Honour was "in a position to anticipate a variation in wages in consequence of any variation in the cost of living in any awards which the CourC might make governing the Typographical Union. It was important to know whether the Court would anticipate u variation in the cost of living and include such variation in thus obviating the nece?sity for a subsequent appeal to the Court, as to whether the variation was included or noL Mr Justice Frazer replied that, if the Court, intended to fix wages as •to include a forthcoming cwt of living reduction, tiie Court always intimated the fact in making its award. "However,” said His Honour, "as far as the (Court's pronouncement itself is concerned, as soon as we get the official figures, which are not ready yet, we will issue a preliminary pronouncement and fix a day for the hearing in the ordinary way.” Subsequently, referring to questions with regard to overtime., Mr Justice Frazer said that the Court was not going to tty to work out elaborate calculalions for every union that came before the Court. Tbe whole tendency was to include the basic wage and bonus in one flat rati’, and to fix overtime rates on that basis. They had to arrive at some understanding with respect to the rate of the bonus. It was w for adjustment.