ALL FOR 50

Evening Star, Issue 19803, 29 February 1928, Page 4

ALL FOR 50

THE “GO SLOW” AT WESTFIELD £7OO IN WAGES LOST [Pee United Press Association.] AUCKLAND. February 28. The dispute which held up work at the Westfield Freezing Works on February 10 and 11 -involved the sum of scl, and the trouble which followed cost the men £7OO in wages and the company a much larger sum. Another consequence was the prosecution of the eighteen men at the Police Court to-day. They were represented by Mr J. J. Sullivan, and pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking their award by “ going slow ” on February 10 and 11. Mr J. Hollows, inspector of awards, said that on February 9 a butcher claimed that a slmep ho had tilled was a “ stag,” which entitled him to from 4d to 5d more. Tho foreman butcher held it was not a stag, and his decision was upheld. Later the mutton butchers held a meeting, and it was decided to “ go slow,” killing being reduced from fourteen sheep an hour to eight. . It seems deplorable,” said Mr Hollows, “that the consequences should have been so great. They were ft fine crowd of men, but there were hotheads among them.” . Mr Sullivan said that if there had been more tact and reasonableness on both sides there would have been no trouble.

The magistrate (Mr 15. C. Cutten) imposed a penalty of £1 each.