FREEZING COMPANIES STAND FIRM

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8343, 1 February 1913, Page 15

FREEZING COMPANIES STAND FIRM

atiPLY TO SLAUGHTERMEN. TERMS NOW OFFERED TO FREE T. A HOUR. Without any beating about tho bush, tho freezing companies ol New Zealand iiavo again doliiateiy refused to acccuo to tho demands made upon them by tho slaughtermen. Tho companies rcotfer tho tonus originally put forward 'oy them, but now submit them for acceptance by any men in or out of union ranks. , . . These arc tho main decisions arrived at by a conference of representatives *jf freezing companies which was held in Wellington yesterday. The conferitnco was attended by representatives of every company in Now Zealand save Waiugawa (which last week made a new agreement with tho men on its own account) and Nelson (a small con*eru which only employs three butchers). Sir George Clifford presided, and on behalf of the conference communicated its decisions to representatives of tho press at tho conclusion of tho deliberations. NO REASON FOR ALTERING ■ DECISIONS. “ Tho freezing companies,” ho said, “ having given full consideration to tho demands of tho slaughtermen as put forward by tho Wellington executive, are unable to eeo any reason for altering their previous determination, liy it, the considerable advance of 2s (id per 100 was offered to tho slaughtermen, with certain minor concessions which chiefly affected tho South Island ’factories. , ~ , “ Tho terms of employment then oi/ored are adhered to, but aro now submitted for acceptance to anyone, whether a member of tho recently cancelled unions or not, and on tho basis that the conditions of tho last awards are otherwise retained. In practice it moans a weeldy increment of not less than Xls 6d. Such a rise has never hitherto occurred in any other trade, nor would their recent proposals have emanated from tho companies except that they desired at any reasonable sacrifice to safeguard tho complicated interests of a national industry. The consequential coat of admitting tho workers’ demands, would result in a price which the producers cannot be asked to pay oven for assured tranquility, and still less for a temporary v el ease from ever-renewing exactions. WHAT THE COMPANIES WANT. ‘‘Tho freezing companies have de(tired to arrange: 1. A liberal wage for work done. 2. Freedom to employ a sufficient number of learners to keep their boards full in tho future. 3. Such regulations as to hours and methods of work as are consistent with the proper management of the factories. 4. The retention of • preference clauses which have been proved by absence of past complications to be thoroughly acceptable to aU parties. “ In malting the proposal now before the slaughtermen,” declared Sir George, “tho companies have had in ■view the advantage of all sections of The trade which constitutes one organ-

isod machine for marketing most suitably a chief product of tho soil of Now Zealand. Each operation must be regarded as a separate act of such a machine, and unless the farmer, tho freezing factory, tho carriers and tho dealers with all the workmen in each of these departments receive their proportionate profit tho industry must suffer to the universal injury of all concerned. As soon, however, as any one fraction of this machine absorbs an undue proportion of the profit, tho machine will cca.so to work owing to the burden thereby thrown upon shoulders unable to boar it. PROHIBITIVE EXPENDITURE. “ On this principle tho companies are bound to defend the producers from an inequitable expense, tho workers from an inequitable adjustment of payments, and themselves from an expenditure which would prohibit the maintenance of their institutions in a fitting condition for their important functions. It has been calculated that tho demands as formulated, with their consequences, would involve an annual outlay of not loss than £IOO,OOO, tho bulk of which sum would ultimately corno out of tho pockets of the farming community.” Sir George Clifford also stated that tho conditions under which work would bo carried on, in both tho North anti tho South Islands, would remain practically tho same as in tho agreements which have just expired. MEN WILL SEEK OTHER JOBS. When tho decisions of tho conference wore communicated to tho secretary of tho Slaughtermen’s Federation by a “Times” representative last evening, Mr Reardon said that as far as ho could seo there was absolutely no chance of tho men accepting tho terms offered. They had voted too solidly against tho company’s proposals before to alter their decisions now. “ Tho companies won’t get slaughtermen this season,” he said. “ They will have to train them before they can get them, and that cannot bo done in a hurry. Tho men I have spoken to tako up this attitude: that they can manage to live all right in tho winter when work is hard to get, and surely they can live in the summer, when there is plenty of other work to bo had. In short, they are not going to squeal about it, but will look for other jobs.” “ Would it not appear,” ho was asked, “ that tho companies must have some ground for hoping they will secure the requisite labour P” “ Well, I don’t know whore it can be coming from,” was Mr Reardon’s reply.