SLAUGHTERMEN.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1644, 10 January 1913, Page 6

SLAUGHTERMEN.

THE POSITION AT GISBORNE! (By Telesraph.—Presß Asßociatioii.) ~ Gisborne,'January 9., The feeling of slaughtermen locally is hard to gauge but it is understood that the majority intend sticking to the demarid 'for ,3Us. Speaking to' a reporter Mr. C. A. de-Lautour (chairman of the directors of the Gisborne Sheepfarmcrs 1 Company) said that as far as Poverty Bay was concerned, there was no grievance between the employers and . the workers The local workers were' simply acting in unity, with other workers in the,industry

throughout New Zealand. .. His personal opinion was that tho workers would nol give up their demands without a' strug' gle. The 'two local, factories, and .th< works at Tokomaru Bay were paying oui in wages probably over .CfpOO in all pel week. Of; the present season about thre< •months had gone, and, under oTdinarj circumstances,, the season would last 1 til. about June. Sceipg that the workers wer< fully organised,, the employers had hac no option but to ..work together in'thi 6amo way. If 'the' worst camo to. thi worst, the. companies would close theii doors, but it was generally understooc that, if at all possible, tho works weri to be continued, even on a reduoed scale and, in this regard, the farmers had pro mised to assist the companies to the ut most extent. . • '■< ' .; "A strike," Mr; de Lautour went on.ti say, "would be unfortunate. While' i would be extremely unfortunate for 'th companies, and injurious to the produc ers, it would also most seriously affec the,workers themselves. •• The.large bod; of employees, whose chief inoome is th wages earned at-the factories, do not aj ■ pear to be considered by the Slaughter men's Union at all. One' other Teaso: why a prolonged strike would be unfpi tuna to was tlio fact that) after, tho'hai vest, the promise of a reduction of wor was very, great. So it was a most unfoi tunate year for the workers for an c'j perimentof this kind whereas, really, th season should be a fairly good one'fo producers and workers. Although th stocks were rather depleted last yeai there was sufficient to make a good an prolonged season." "It is quite Clear," Mr. de Lautou continued, "that the factories are unabl to control tho position,, and it is quit impossible to hand over the factories t the federation executive;'' Nothing le appears to satisfy their 'ambition at pri sent. No one would object to fair new tiations with the local men, whose reli ' tions with the employers is all 'that ca be desired. In the absence of any ii timatton from the men, it is impossibl for us to decide upon any courso of w ,tion, and it is no use onticipatiii trouble. Work is pTooeeding''at tho fa tory to-day as usual." LOCAL POSITION. /There, are no further developmeni . locally .with regard to the pending crii , between tho Slaughtermen's Pederatii and the meat companies. The three-ye , award expiros next week, and in' t' meantime tho slaughtermen aro balloti; . on tho question of ceasing work. T1 ballot has nearly been complteed. j A l-oport was curront in town yestc [ day to tho effcct that the companies hi decided to give the men a week's notn . and close down. After careful inqui a representative of The Dominion nsc( tainccl that there was nothing in it.