DO NOT LIKE BUTCHERS CLOSING

Chronicle (Levin), 4 January 1947, Page 5

DO NOT LIKE BUTCHERS CLOSING

THREATS BY WATERSIDERS AND MINERS Received Fridav, 10 p.m. BYDXEY, Jan. 3. It is understood that, despite th«. decision of Bydney and Xewcastlc butcliers to close tlieir shops from Mou day, the Federal Govenunent will t:ik«. no action to decontrol meat prices. The lirst industrial reaction to the butcliers' decision is a threat bv the niiners to strike and by watersiders to cease loading meat. Today housewives in Sydney am, Newcastie invaded food stores to buy up supplies of tinned meat and grocers expected their nioderate stocks to sell out before closing time tonight. A report from Canberra states tliat a departmental couference today de cided to stand firm against the butcliers. Commonwealtli oHicials are counting upon a collapse of the united ; front of the butcliers, witliin a very I short period. They claiin that enougl: butcliers will ignore last night 's tio cisiou bv the iNleat Tradcs I- ederatiou, to keiqi* Ihe public partiall.v sup[)lied with meat. The secrelar.v of the Meat Trades Fodeiiition, Mr. T. A. Herbert, explaincd today that the butcliers were mcrely asking for the right to buy meat at below the, ceiling price so that it could be sold at the ceiling. There wa> no forrn of control on livestock prices and stock dealers had been leading a charnicd existcnce right through tln war. Wliolesale butcliers were permitted, under the regulations, to sell parts of a slaughtered aniinal sejiaratelv provided that the total sum received did not excced ihe ceiling piico lor tlu whole carcase. This was obviou..sh iinpossible to poliee. Angered at the decision by the butcliers to close their shops from Monday) northern miners are considering refusing to work unless assured of continuous supplies of meat. The president of the Sydndy branch of the Waterside IVorkers' Federat :on said that if the watersiders were doniel. meat they might rcfuse to load it for export. Slaughtering iva.s norma! today and supplies of (ish and rabbits are said to be above nornial. Nine hundred out of 1200 butcliers' shops in Sydney and 300 in Newcastie are all'ected.