SLAUGHTERMEN'S PAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8339, 27 January 1913, Page 11

SLAUGHTERMEN'S PAY

MR WILFORD ADVOCATES SLIDING SCALE. ADDRESS AT PETONE. An address dealing with the slaughtermen's strike was delivered by Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P. for Hutt, at a uublb mooting held in St. Augustine's Hall, Petoue, on Saturday evening. There wero 220 present, and Mr J. Bowles occupied the, chair. Mr Wilford, who was received with applause, said ho had called tho meeting as member for tho district because Petone, which was tho most populous part of his constituency, was vitally interested in tho strike, and in his opinion public men who wero seized with duties and who had obligations cast upon them by virtue of being public men, should, if they had thoughts on auestions which agitated the public mind, como forward and giro to the public tho best which was in them in reference to those subjects. By doing this tho result might bo that new thought would be created, and now ideas ©ngendored in those who took part in the discussions. Ho had a perfect right, without dictating to either sido what it shonld do to stop tho strike, to discuss the subject generally. He did not know tho individual opinions of the members of tho Slaughtermen's Union. Ho had. no shares in any freezing company, no stock, and no interest in any shape or form on tho employers' side, therefore ho claimed the right to i>ut his view of tho matter before his constituents. ERKONEOTTS STATEMENTS. Nobody could deny that tho strike was absolutely legal. Thero v.'as no doubi tho first thing that 3truck an onlooker was that statements wero made which could not be borne out when a closo examination was made of them, and ho proposed to analyse some of the statements for the purpose of showing that they were entirely without foundation and not worthy of credence and belief. For instance, they wero told that tho slaughtermen were a floating population—here to-day and gone to-morrow. That was untrue as far as Petone was concerned, and it was untrue as far as Ngahauranga was concerned. (Hear, hear.) He could not make a stronger comment than by saying tha't such a statement was untrue. Rogarding tho length of tho slaughtering season, he wanted to deny an erroneous impression. He had been for some years a representative of tho district, and he knew that as years went on—notwithstanding the fact that there were greater number of sheep—-the season shortened and tho work was rushed. The reason was that Digger ships came to tho Dominion, and more of them. Twelve and fifteen years ago tho class of ships which carried New Zealand's meat to tho Old Country wero comparatively small boats. Now, huge vessels which wore able to carry larger numbers of carcases could transport quickly the stock which was put through tho slaughtermen's hands. Those large steamers, the quick means of transport, and the forms of facilities which now portained, accounted principally for the shortening of the season. Again, it was stated that slaughtermen could earn big wages—some people would sny as much as £9 a week—during the "rash" season, and after it had finished they could got' casual labour, and earn sufficient' to keep themselves in tho "off" season. That was a misrepresentation of fact pure and simple. (Hear, hear.) It was the casual worker's average wage which had to bo considered. A wago of 9s 6d a day was a good one if a man got it every day m tho week, but it on account of bad weather, or other circumstances, ho earned it one day and not the other, then the position was different. A REASONABLE DEMAND.

A slaughterman’s work was of a nature which nobody could say would be the choice of tho majority of tho people. It was arduous and dangerous, and was work of a class which was entitled to special pay. “There is no doubt about it in my mind,” remarked Mr Wilford. “Now, what should bo tho special pay?” A voice: Thirty hob. (Laughter.) Mr Wilford said that calculating tho wage per hundred in 1911 and the wage that was asked in 1913, there was only ono conclusion which could bo arrived at, and that was that the demand of tho men for 30s per' hundred was not extortionate and should be paid to everyone who was entitled to it for slaughtering. (Hear, hear, and applause.) “I am going to prove this,” said the speaker, in quoting the following comparisons in prices per head for tho two years. "I hope these figures will be challenged by some freezing company because I have been careful, as a lawyer should be, to get them from a source which they cannot possibly contradict.” Tho not prices paid to growers on their farms were: Prices Per Head.

If tho price paid for wethers in 1913 was 3s per head more than it was two years, ago, tho price per hundred was £ls, which represented the increased price apart from any profit which tho farmer made when wethors were 14s (id. Of that 3s per wether which cam© to £ls, or 3600 ixmco per hundred, tho slaughtermen were asking sixty pence, or ss. The question would 1)6 asked: Was tho farmer getting the whole of those 3600 pennies of which the slaughtermen were asking sixty, and of which tho freezing companies wore offering thirty pence. No one imagined that the whole of the 3600 ponce was direct profit on every 100 wethers which were sold, but they knew well enough that if they looked at a piece of land which the farmer had. and which lie sold when wethers were 17s 6d, and calculated the price he sold it at when wethers wore 14s 6d, it would be soon that a very largo bulk of tho profit on account of the increased prices wont into the pockets of tho producer. Tile man who was helping—tho slaughterman—was demanding from that profit which was made in good times, a small share. When he saw that the Waingawa Company were likely to give the 30s ho realised that tho rest of the companies would be bound to come down to what was at least a reasonable wage for slnvg'tternion’s work. But was 3ffc to last lor ail time? Certainly not. The question of the

future would .be; What is tho share of tiio labourer in the profit he creates!' If 30s was a fair rate to pay‘ to-day considering the price of stock, then let the companies agree to pay that wage on the present prices. Ho was not going to argue that if the prices fell below what they were to-day the 90s should pertain. There should practically bo a sliding scale for the payment of slaughtermen. If tho prices went up during the nest two years then the 30. s should not bo the limit, and if a slump took place they should not expect as high a rate to ho paid. 1N SURMO UNT ABLE ? Regarding tho, question of the number of learners to tradesmen, only experts could judge what was a fair proportion, and surely it was possible to decide this. Similarly, was the difficulty as to the timo of starting in tho morning insurmountable if both sides admitted that there must bo some difference between the timo the slaughtermen and those hands who were dependent upon them commenced work? Ho did not think they would have any difficulty in getting, 90s a hundred, but from an outside point of view ho urged them to adopt a sliding scale. A voice; No fear!

Another voice: That seems fair! “Can you toll us how we can bust up Massey?” queried a member of the audience amidst laughter! “Well, I can’t very well talk on that just now,” was Air Wilford’s reply. Tho speaker said he thought tho slaughtermen need not expect to havo only ono learner allowed to every twenty men. That was asking too much, and would make too close a corporation.

Air Wilford concluded by expressing his hopes that tho strike would ho settled in a manner satisfactory both to the workers and the employers, A number of slaughtermen remained behind, and thanked Air Wilford for his address.

Jan. Jan. 1911. 1913. 8 5 0 10 0 0 0 14 6 0 17 6 0 13 0 0 15 0 0 0 14 6 1 10 0 1 17 6