SEASON'S SLAUGHTERING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2869, 6 September 1916, Page 8

SEASON'S SLAUGHTERING

RATES OP PAY CASE BEFORE ARBITRATION COURT Upon the award of tho Court of •• 'Arbitration. in 'the Ngahauranga aiid Fotone slaughtermen's dispute may depend the rate to"be paid for expert ; throughout New Ttea- . land during the coming season: Tho dispute was beforo tho Court on Mon- - day. / - Sir. M. J. Rcardon, the union's ro- • presentativo, explaining the claims, " said that an award was sought to replaco an industrial agreement drawn- ' Up in 1913. Though the Ngahauranga and Petone Slaughtermen's Union was, ...Oil tho face of it, the union involved, actually the award made would havo an - important bearing on the industry New Zealand. Agree—'ments were expiring, or had expired, ■ in Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay, Otago, ' and Canterbury, and in Auckland tho agreement would expire early in 1917. ..Tho dispute might .almost be termed ...Australasian.. In various Australian States, Sir. Justice Higgins was now -engaged in hearing claims which' were —•on. exactly similar lines to those pre- : ■ fcrred here. •• In Queensland, tho r employers recently settled a dispute on the terms asked here. In „ tact the terms in Queensland were bet;„.ter, because part of the work done by j-slaughtermen here was done by labourers in Queensland. The 19i3 agreer' ment was signed by representatives of ; ' r "uuions .who were completely ignorant 'of what they were signing. Three years' work had shown that tho agrce..ment _ signed by expcrieucod 6laughter- .. ..men in 1910 was much more satisfactory than the agreement signed at the - dictation of the companies in 1913. If principal demand, for 325. 6d. a 'hundred, were granted, the total cost • spread, over the wholo of the freezing " works of the Dominion would bo ; £17,234. That was calculated on export figures. Divided among com,,paniessthat had made immense profit ■ in recent years, it was quite trifling. —In. 1910-11 there Were 816 slaughtcr- - mon employed, and tho payment for "slaughtering export stock was £75,413, or. an average per man of £92 Bs. 4d. : The President of the Court: How .'long does the season last? ■ „ Mr. Reardon: For twelve months in son-.o sheds'. In Wellington the cm,.ployers had the advantage in. the dispute, becauso it , was here that the •■■•fihods maintained... something like con-"-tinuity of employment through.; the - Tear. In 1911-12, the average pay-, ment per man was'£7s. '.For the year ended March ,31, 1916, the gross pay- - -'Quent's'for slaughtering at the new. rate ■ of £1 75." 6d. were ; £91,737. Assum- . jiiig that,the average was maintained r .throughout: 'this year, and •. reckoning 1 -on 1493' hooks,' which would ; be available,' tho average earnings per man would be £61>9s. The;.representative of the employers, Jfr. \y. Pryor, submitted that Mr. . *Roardo'n. had'iiot established'a- case for • an increase. ' The President: There appears to bo higher, rates in Queensland. Mr. Pryor urged that the Court ... oould. not fairly take this into con- ■ sideration unless; it had investigated •. tho special conditions ' obtaining in Queensland. • Prior to ,1907 the high- : est rato .paid for slaughtering was 20s.

a hundred. It was now 27a. Gd., an increase in ten years of 37} per ccnt. Now the claim was for 325. 6d., showing that no matter how well employees wore treated there would still be' exorbitant olauns. The increase in cost of living in normal times was, botweon 1906 and 191-1, only 7.9 por cent. Since the war began thero had been a greater increase, but Mr. Pryor submitted that ill fixing tho wages the Court sliould not baso its award on abnormal conditions. The Court should consider, also, what would be the effect on other industries if an increase were granted here, where it was shown the men oould earn from -2s. to 3s. lOd. an hour. Mr. Pryor called E. C. Comer, liianager of the Gear Company's slaughtering department, who produced figures showing tho average hourly earnings of 'slaughtermen. For the 191.4-15 season eight men earned 3s. 6d. per hour or' over. 34,35., 52 2s. 6d., 13:25.. and 4 under 2s. ■ In the lower rates learners were included. The witness quoted one man's earnings as £157 for. 141 working days. Other men, he said, had the opportunity of earning equal sums. Most men supplemented their earnings as slaughtermen bv other'employment in the off-season. * The Court reserved decision.'

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