THE MEAT STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1683, 25 February 1913, Page 5

THE MEAT STRIKE.

, fifth Week,

: COMPANIES VERY CONFIDENT. OTHER SIDE'S VIEWS. The meat strike has been in progress, so far as the Northlsland w.orks are concerned, for, fivo'weeks ami tlirejulays. So far. as can, be. ascertained, the. ■coin-. pnni.es aro ; committed to the. view- that the day. for. compromise or.'settlement with, the Slaughtermen's .federation has gone by; tliat they have; regained full' control of their own boards, and luat the industry is to' up restored, to its former position as regards output on a basis of free Jabour, working, unjler rlie conditions which fne companies themselves have established.. Tho invariable reply made to questions addressed to the companies yesterday, was that they, were confident of their ability to control the situation, and intended io do so. The mingling of ox-slaughtermen with free labourers qii tho boards of seme of tho companies is said to be a factor of small importance, which will have no permanent effect on the situation. .Advices received oy tho local companies aro to the effect that on a number of ■Cvorth Island boards no ex-slaughtermen aro to be found. It is admitted- that there ore uhionjsts on some of- tho boards, but frcu labourers', jt is stated; everywhere largely preponderate. ." ..' ■..'', The representatives of the ex-slaughter-men on tho other hand decline to admit 'that they aro beaten.' Apparentlj-j they hope that the- oompaiiies will be unable," with the aid of free labour, to reach a volume of output which will satisfy the farming community. ' ' Statements made by Mr. M. J. Keardon (secretary of .the Slaughtermen's Uoh), to the effect that tho free labourers on the local, boards were'poor workmen and very slowj were emphatically, denied by company, representatives who were spokon to yesterday. So'me of (ho lnen. who went on at the beginning, a reporter was informed, . did a. very small "tally" per day, but they have been improving steadily in speed, and their work is certainly as good in point of qunlity ns that turned out by the ex-slaughternieu. Both local companies,' it. was'i'uither.' stated, are receiving' plenty of., cpplicatiohs,' and anticipate having full " freelabour boards very shortly. Applications are.' sufficiently, numerous to enable, the: companies to pick and ohoose. ' Only nien.*w,ho have had some experieuce are' being, taken on, though' it is hot being demanded that they, siiall bo as fast as fully-truinpd'slaughternieii. The idea of the companies is to. secure men'who can do good wo'rk from tho, start, and afe' ; capable of a reasonably rapid improvement in the matter of speed-. ■;' ' "" . Mr, '11.' J. Keirdoii, "when seen last evening, had little to say for publication'., ■He expres'sejl a: belief, -however, tint'tho farmer's, of the, Dominion would not much longer be "satisfied' with the rate at wl.icli the companies' - were dealing with. 6t i cki Ho stated that he.had i;eceivcd-u letter, iii which this question' was put: "If this free labour , is; so.; wonderful, how is it that we can't' get rjd of our stock?" "Last March and March of the year before,", was Mr. Eeardou's concluding remark, "were the ■.-; best months of their respective seasons. At present tie companies are not much exceeding n quarter of the output'that would be possible if th'e boards jtcre in full operation." '.. .'_' A. paragraph appeared in . yesterday's, issue which stated that men discharged at Petono had been'' paid 15s.'per day "for doing 90."' This was obviously' wrong." l'ifteen .shillings, is the.ariiount ot the daily wage paid;to_learners, lien-killing. > 96rsheep per.'day"-would bn paid at the rate of Sis.'6d. per. hundred,,.'