MEAT STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1659, 28 January 1913, Page 7

MEAT STRIKE.

EFFECT OF WAINGAWA MOVE.

NEW SITUATION.

WAITING GAME BY BOTH SIDES. POSITION TO DATE. To say that the dispute lietviW ' tti9' 7 ; slaughtermen and t|ieir employers, tho frozen meat companies, stands now in I much tlio samo position' as it did last week, would be very l'ar from correct. Tho members of thp ujiion are delighted with 1 tlio agreement concluded at Wainga>va on Saturday, and they assert, with apparent confidence, that they will get jusj: as good terms. eventitally froin tlio oilier com-.' panies. . . ,

It is a remarkably good agreement from the men's point of view, It makes'over- ■ tinp wprk impossible, except at tho ra(o ' of'4ss. per 100 . sheep, unless' thpro' liap- " v pens to havo been a ho|i<}ay during liio week, \yhon overtime inay bo wprked on Saturday afternoon at (ho rato of 375. Cd. per hundred. These rates' "piij; all ove{> ': tin)p out pf this question, ot which ilm union members aro greatly pleased, They ' say that they wisli to piqkc all pvertiiDO impossible, because tho work is. too hard for men to endure it for 1 more than tho usual hours. . ■

Apparently neither they, npr tho oopi. pnny with whom they )mvo been negotiating, have taken any account of the fact' that; tho frozen' meat business is only a ■ seasonal tirade,' and that tinio lost cannot bo picked up agfin' VO'liatevpr Imp* - pens, tho stoclf will not flay prime any 1 -' longer than tho grass keeps growing, pud r ' the- growipg of .tho grass cannot bo regu. lated in order to givo a» eight hours' dfiy,. ■. ... ;' ■ ! en ,ll(i grass begins'to go styck oan.'. iiofc bis held whilo arrears nro mpdo up at tho worksj sheep ■ can never ,bo held for, a mpntl( at Mich a iiino, find very of t«p- jifew Jtami tw held.' for ft 2vr may find it : difficult, when farmers on tho ono hand iMjjm to clamour to havo their sheep leceived into tho only works now running, and when, pn tho other hand, they must, in • !, ■ " tu ™ l c thpm, pay slaughtermen io kill them at, tho overtimo rob of 455. per hundred. Tho old rate'wjw 255.", and ratoand a Quarter for overtime, or 316. 3d. And ft great deal of'overtime was work-/ ■■ cd. liiq men at Petone worked nino hours 1 every dav f qm) received TAte and a quarter ' if fch® tost houj? of tho nine every day. At Ngahauranga'the men f worked tea more overtime. •. •. Mr. M. .T. secretary of tho ' !it Dominion reporter yesterday ■■ 1 | that ho hoped that very eoon tjfio union. v would Ikj negotiating with the owners of. other works; He stated, however, that ho . had no grounds for hbping anything of tho sort, and' that ho had not been in treaty with any other compares.' : • It; is • l^ing>. suggested',:in'- 'many i' quarters . now- : [thattho companies' .offer .. .of . ' 275.' 'Cd, .was' a' bad tactical move on. tl>e!r. pgrt.; /As' an pmployeb 1 ' of ono of the local companies enid to n i Dominion, reporter yesterdays ''tlio men woro given 27b. Gd: without firing a' shot, ' nnd thpy at onoo ])eoamo a gTcat deal mora determined to lmng out for the other lip|f r ' crown,_ . This seems to be a fairly correct analysis of tho. position, for the men rc- 1 ject<)d the offer of - 275. Cd. by d majority of hvo to one in the ballot. • Tlio proposal (ibout n sliding scalo basis of payment to • slaughtermen-Jlr; Wulord's - idea—is not taken seriously by ' " v . citlier companies ;or .riien. ;. Both agreV ': , that so long as tho. pri'co is rising >,tho 6chomo would work splendidly, but the; BOQff at tho idpa that the men would cvci oonsenj: to accept lower rates when prices ' of meat fell. ' •, . ' '

An, cx-slnughterman sized rip tho posi. tion yesterday in'these words: "You iiuv ' "i¥ , 1 t J le nr ff" mp nts you like to cither Mae, and you will never do .any good. - Ifc never.is.a question of,whether the men aro entitled,to what, they ask for or not. Ihe only question is: Are-the slaughter-"- 1 men strong enough to force their terms .i from tho .companies, .or are tho eomnanies' ; enough position to resist tho .If t' l . o struggle develops into a trial of mength merely, it may be a long strug- -- Present: are playing,a-: uaitmg game, Xhey . aro .doing nothing, , and thej have nothing to say about it, '

POSITION AT PATE A. • , IT o Patea County Press" reports Hint in spite of the fact that the slaughtermen. ' ■ Jiavo given notica of their intention to > • oeaso workpn January 31, the works of the J. atea Farmers' Cooperative Freezing' m Company nover presented a busier npprar- 1 enw) than. they, dq at the present time, ihe holding paddocks afowcll filled with both pattlo, and sheep; , and work and bystlo is tho order of tho day.' The season 60.far has boon a record one iii cyery de'. partment, all jiaiide working at high pres. ' 6Uro. . On Thursday night some 106 tons of jneat left the works for Wellington by- 1 spooiql train, in'order to catcV the Home ■ boat, whilst a large quantity • is. in tho-. V refrigerator ready to'ba shipped. ns soon as the local boats are available. '.:' With regardthe strike," the, "Press" continues,; '(hero is nothing, new to . . chronicle in connection' with tho local works. There is not tho slightest discon,l. T" E thp.men, everything working with tho utmost smoothness, but being members of tho union tho men will, of'. ■ pour§e,; lidvo to abide by the decision of their oxocutivo. A ptrilco at : tho present > juncture is; to bo deplored, l as tho works , . aro in full swing and all handsiare malt- " ing good money. Tho general impression is that tho strike, if it does occur, will ' not,last long, and that if the rcpresontalivos.of both sides inoet again in a lonson- • , able spirit a compromise will bo effected,"