THE SLAUGHTERMEN

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8364, 26 February 1913, Page 11

THE SLAUGHTERMEN

DONATION OF £2OO FROM VICTORIA. A. substantial' donation towards the funds of the Slaughtermen’s Federation was received by Mr M. J. Reardon, the secretary, from the Australian Meat Industry Employees’ Onion (Victoria branch) yesterday. It consisted of a cheque for £2OO and the covering letter ran as follows: “I am in receipt of your cablegram asking for contributions towards assistance in your dispute. This branch has at once donated £2OO, which I am enclosing. ... I have telegraphed all the other States, to deal at once with the request, and'expect an answer at an early date. Yon have the support of the whole of the federation in yotir dispute, as Queensland has already signed an agreement with the employers in the export branch, providing for the payment of 38a 6d per 100 for dressing down and 2s 3d for sticking down, which makes 30s 0d per 100. We are also making a demand on all our employers for 30s per 100 for slaughtering sheep and lambs as our present agreement expires in a month or two.—(Signed) C. Anderson, general secretary of the federation and secretary of the Victorian branch.” Mr Reardon said that the Queensland price wifi 30s 9d and the Victorian men who received : 27s 6d wete going to demand 30s when their agreement expired in June. They were - particularly interested in the fight m New Zealand. “EIGHT AND NINE POUNDS A WEEK.” "It is about time that statement concerning slaughtermen drawing between £8 and £0 a week Was decently buried,” remarked Mr M., J. Reardon to a "Times” reporter yesterday. Mr Reardon pointed out that just before the strike occurred one of tho men working at the Meat Export Co.’s works met with an accident, and a few days ago he went to the office of tho company With a medical certificate to draw compensation./ The company told him they would pay him hal£ the earnings of an average slaughterman in the ‘shed, which was HI 8s 6d. They reckoned that over the twelve months the average earnings of a slaughterman was £2 X7s per week, and they paid him half that amount. This, therefore, disposed of the statement that the men Were earning large sums.