THE MEAT STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1677, 18 February 1913, Page 6

THE MEAT STRIKE.

•r FULL BOARDS IN SIGHT. THE" OUTSIDE AGREEMENTS. ' ':'.: ' - '.'■';■"■' ''."■■ \ ."DISOWNED BY COMPANIES. '. ■•' Both the local meat export companies v:^'hope to have a full board of slaughtermen •.iC'this week, irrespective of any of the old ':'. hands,-and when-they:have reached this ', jsiage they intend to forward any applica■>"stioris/fqr work which-they receive to other which oro nbt in quite such a .'happy position. ;, v- Tho Wellington: Meat Export Company ;at.tho,moment is dealing'with, about 1500 ," sheep;per. day, and is'also turning cut a .' ■ fairamountof beef. Yesterday there were ■ 52 ;butchers on tho'board, and there would :;. have been 55 but for the fact thatthree meiitsworo.away temporarily incapacitated 11 by minor injuries. The company is putting ;'. on men every day, and there will be more :;. on.the board to-day than there were yes- ■ terday. :■ ■'■'■■;';'■ ' ''.'•'■• ''; Equally/good, reports .come from tho ■:■ Gear Company ./Applications aro still com.ing in well, and the '.■.men applying, it-is said,'are a most promising. lot. More .slaughtermen joined the board yesterday, ' and about 1800 sheep were slaughtered in a day .of eight hours. Additional men '■■ ■.':will, bo.put..in to-day; and it is'expected that'the "tally" will bo considerably bet-, ■• ;vtered.:!, : ,The flaying of the skins yesterday, ■J 'f'itiia stated, was excellent, and. probably • ' was than has been turned t.O out; at the works for a good many years, ' while'the killing and dressing were better ■;'.'■ than that'dbhe by the "ex-slaughtermen. ' ■:'■ Some further particulars of -,'tho.ngrec:>jVr merits 'which .have 1 been, entered into by "''. the Slaughtermen's Federation and certain, .'outside buyers of stock, were supplied yes-; ■ terday by Mr. M. J. Be'ardon (secretary ';■ of;, the'.federation)::;,..' '''-' , ■; ~:, "AnVagreement has been arrived at,(he .'psaid) with .Messrs. Wilson/ and Cahham, i. Ltd., who areprepared to pay 4s:per,head ;' ; ior.:cattlo'..;,This is 100' per cent, higher /'ii'than what'we have been receiving under ■v 'the! last, award. .-.'lt-is expected., that ;n I''■ -teain'of .beef mca would .commence' to-day ,• on.a;line of 500 head at the Longburn : .v-works. •.We haVe.ahw entered' into ah -' with another: exporter, who. is ',"operating.from Taranaki. In this case the ■':'■ rates''are as' follpwi—Bullocks and ;cows, ..•'2si' 6d.; .bulb; 2s;'6d.*; bullocks, if sawn, '. Bs. per head.",' Calves, up'to'lOOlb., Is. 6d,;. : over/lOOlb.'■ and up. to 2001b., 25.; . over ; - ; .'. rates! ■■'■In Taranaki an' : ; American agency 'hag recently opened tv«p -, aVnew'line;ivith ■Vancouver. ■,This,is for ■!''; the .'export of'.calves in the, skin. They ;, have sent an experimental line of ;75 head, v : and iintend! to- extend the trade. This ;>'!firm.has' naw"offered'iis.ls. per head to' :. '.do.this work,, whioh involves onlythe kill-:■-'':ing. of'the. animal,'cutting the head off, taking _out,' the; inside; and cutting ;off the :! four Jegs. ;'At-the' rate offering, js„ jier .-': head,''tn,ej'ai)o',a H gift'.to.the m'eri.'.'aria'it > has~been decided to make, a, start on sev-; ■■'. eral v huhdfed that' have been waiting the .'knifo.since.the dispute began.; The kill-' :' iiig willibe, done at the New: Plymouth > and ,th©:freezing, in. an.'estab- ': Hshment. hear tho NewPlymouih wharf.", ' ,1 present the agreements operate only. 'on the' West ;Coast; of the North' Island.';., : , -: The.'third;' agreement;:Mr.',Eeardon Btnt- ; .... Ed,; was on .much the: same the •:•- Longburri,one. AH three; agi-eements, he, :;:: added; resulted; from'-' offers. made; to ,tho ;, elaughterihenj they';did.,iiot -take- the" iri- •/- itiative. The>contra(itor's who were parties ■ to ,'tho agreements 'had: undertaken ': the J whole...responsibility of finding works in •'■...' which;;the slaughtering arid freezing could . *.be carried out. c ;;,-.::..:'.; ; {'.: ■;,.'.:.,: .-'.; 'Eepresentatjve's of the local companies ■ ..who were.spoken to .yesterday., agreed, in' .' stating; that tho, agreements -. entered into i ; by. .'the. Slaughtermen's Federation '.would' 1 -,;.- disowned by .'the companies. l ; - The: : . Wellington Meat .Export Company, -. ■'; .with ,most of the', -other companies in. "the North .Island (Lbngburn, among tho number) in.regard- '.;' to the. agreements,' and/in every instance ; ; J the replies' receiveawereto' the effect that . the„companies would decline tocbunten-, '. anco'the arrangements cxaitcmplated by tho ;•-agreements...: .'>.." •.'.',- -;; "Not a company In the North jlsland," ;.;ia.'reporter:,_who made inauiries was;, inr : formed,;,"will allow,outside,men to come in and'Tule.iand not a company, in the , North Island-will pay or recognise any f other Tate than ;275; fld.ra'' hundred for y sheep and 2s. per head for cattle. As- for ■ allowing_men: to ! 'put"in outside butchers ■ and pay them the difference between the :'-'. ruling. rates, land. the Tates they demend, :;the companies : will certainly'decline to do v anything of the kind. The Slaughtermen's ;;lmion may have made.agreements 'with :• .outside buyers arid, speculatorp, but the '.' companies- intend to;retain control of.their own boards, and have no intention of kill-. '•'. -ing for anybody, except withthe men now ';';.; v ',„,;:;,.■...,''. ..'.....,',■',•:.;;' 1 : j; o f '/ th' e /'companies/,-also :.; .denied.,.emphatically that • any contracts '.;-. existed would'enable outside buyers • ; to .force',any:of the sheds to accept.slock conditions contemplated -in the : ..agreement. /: : -.'.<. ; ..,■■';• r- ..';,- .■ .V ,"

WORKS. '■ - ■ '', ',;„:',;".' (By. Telegraph.-Press Aasoirfatfon.)'' ■.■ ■ "™ '?''^>' c !l ! ' i ? tchl Jrch,:February .'l7.'.'- - m ; satisfactory 'state of affairs in almost all the/Canterbury' meat freezing jmks,. recorded,last week, 'continues, and ■ there. 4s-every indication that thrnga'will improve.niore and' more until it will not matter ;nvuclr whether Ihe slaughtermen continue.on strike or seek to return to work.':; _■•-..;-■. -■■■ ;•. Operations were resumed at Belfast this morning/with 30 slaughtermen on the ward, and much tho same state of affairs is reported from the majority of the works •in Canterbury..'; At,: Islington there has been a/cphsiderablo increase number of slaughtermen, and the number is being steadilv augmented. Applications from men willnig to accept engagements ar» still. bein.- received sJa,thero.are still: ft number of men on the. Hist, for' employment "whoso .notice j 6, , r :l>resßnt employers has not.expir«&_bnt whoso services.will bo available snortly.i ;vj.:. ■■'-''<"■:.' ; i ; :