THE SAGGING OF THE MEAT STRIKE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1685, 27 February 1913, Page 6

THE SAGGING OF THE MEAT STRIKE.

v IN CANTERBURY. , / / , i. /.■ POSITION IN NORTH ISLAND. THE FREEMEN. . COMPANIES WILL STAND BY THEM, Waning interest in the meat strike has been revived bytho news that tho Canter- • bury Union has decided to resume'work. Tho news is ascepted.as correct,both by , the local companies and by tho slaughter-, V, . men, though so far 110, .details, of .the posi.i ; . tioii at , tho southern works have come through.' Tho opinion is now general that tho companies Dave prevailed, and , that ~ the, meat striko ,is almost at an endJ ,v. .. afloat.yesterday, that the former employees,at the local works had held a meeting at l y etona on tho previous "■■evening, and had decided to go back to work. This story, howover, was 'definitely contradicted by Atr. At. J. Reardon, secretary oi the ,Slaughtermen's Federation, ' ■ who' stated that though ho ■ had visited Petono on the evening in 'question no meeting had been.held.' The local' iiieii , had not yet declared in favour of a cessa- ; 1 tion of hostilities. : Representatives of the local.companies who were spoken .to yesterday stated that *. everything was going .smoothly!at.Petono. • and Ngaliauranga. - At each board a few : • additional men airo'being put on. every ,day. There are some temporary losses on . account of men being; incapacitated by . -cuts,; and. minor . injuries, . but, taking ■■■■~ everything into account, arid apart 7rom , the possibility ■of the strike breaking down at any time, • both I locar companies expect to havo. fall boards by the<end of' tho week. V-i-.v :'/■■■ i . .-. .-The companies, stated, are deter- . mined to protect the men- who'came to their .assistance as free labourers; 'i'heso : men will bo retained irrespective,of speed, provided 'that;.there Is a, reasonable prospect;of,,'their soon becoming efficient, and '.. ui 'is-imderstocHl that'tho companies have no intention of faking on moro than. twenty men, at . the outside, • : .on';each board. ■ Those selected will.prob-' ably bo-married men,- ... . -. ; '4.t.tho'.-Lpngburn iworks,,., it,is stated,! , that th'qrV .were ; nine union hren on the hoftrdi.Two;,were■, put.off for some reason, and cither /yesterday or. the ,day before;, tho flthers "downed tools," and left . their employment.'?'lt'is, understood that ..thev took this action on' learning' what .■'.had happened in - • Air. Reardon, when ho was asked lust ' evening what.-ho thought of the latest development replied: '"Assmn'ing that tho position in'-CanteTbu'ry '. has- . . been correctly statedj-and 'that/ tho men have glveri:way,.'we,aro beaten, by. working . men, and wo are notgoing to squeal about :. ■■ it." " : As to the faH,,thaino details ; ,regarding i. f ; the, position,in Canterbury, had been tele- 1 graphed, Air..,Jteardon / remarked that . since Sir. passed; through . Welliugton/.en'.'.routo;to Wangariui yesterday, no 'donbt th'o.-Canterbury , men'.'had been left .''sitting'on the doormat" await- ■ ing a reply to 'their -overtures' for . peace. Mr. Reardon thinks ,fiiat'the Canterbury slaughlprmeh have'probably asked for the i dismissal of the;,free. : labpurersj-or of 'a \ p'ortion.of their number,"as,a condition .-. precedent, to their-returning;, to work. ' ' . A".meeting .of'tho.;local; Slaughtermen's. U.nion.is to be held to-night, no doubt in . , ' viewo of ..the . fact that ' the '.-meni have to reconsider theii {position owing, to ; the a'c-' . .tion^aken ; by;tho' ; Canterbury union.'' Exactly, what, tho ■North' Island slotgh- ,, termen ; ; will '.elect •to do;..it ; is ■■ impossible to say at the•; moment.' It is possiblo - that .they. may,debt to*, leave matters as ■ they stand,-.; and . seek..other occupations , ineantimei : inV-thb- h'opß'/§f being 'able to renew the'fight with'.the companies', liext season. At all.events, so . far as can be ; of - theV North .Island slaughtermen ;are by ho means prepared Ui confess-themselves defeated. ; ' .' , ■It vhas ,been" miido ,perfectly plain' that • tho slaughtermen,./.have'.no .'chance of bringing'the companies to terms, but some ' . of them apparently, are inclined fo leave .' ;. tho boards;to the free labourers, rnd de- ' i . rive, what satisfaction they''-can from' the ' consequent reduction if or ; a i&oro'cr less' prolonged period in the export output. •