COST OF LIVING.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18017, 4 November 1920, Page 5

COST OF LIVING.

A FURTHER BONUS GRANTED. STATEMENT BY ARBITRATION COURT. (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, Nov. 3. In announcing a further cost of living bonus of 2|d an hour, or nine shillings per week, as from November Ist, the Arbitration Court staled: It is necessary lor unions which consider their members are entitled to these bonuses to file in the Court an informal application therefo. and this should be done without delay, in order that employers may have timely notice of the application and an early opportunity’ of making such arrangements as they may think proper. A majority of the employers no doubt, as in previous cases, will pay the increased bonus without waiting for a formal order of the Court, but those employers who may consider they have good grounds for contesting the grant of the bonus to their workers, and do contest it, will not, in the event of the decision of the Court being against them, have any ground for complaining, as is sometimes done, of the unfairness of ordering retrospective payment ot bonuses. Representations have been made to the Court that owing to. the increase since September 30 last in the price of butter, which forms a substantial item m household expenditure, a special bonus should be granted to meet this increase. 'I his however, is obviously impracticable. The Court <'annot grant a bonus based upon the increased price of any particular commodity. The half-yearly periods for which the Court computes any bonuses granted ''"ere selected by the Government Statistician as being the most equitable division of the year to ensure that seasonal and other exceptional fluctuations of the market should not unduly affect the result for any particular period. 1 he price of butter has been increased, but it is impossible to say how long thfe may continue, and on the other hand some other commodities have fallen in price, and it is only the net result of all the factors involved extending over the selected periods upon which the Court can act in determining the amount of any cost of living bonus. It is frequently stated that the effect of increasing the wages of workers is still further to increase the cost of living, and therefore that relief to the worker is merely temporary. This is undoubtedly true to some extent, but not to the extent commonly supposed.