BUTCHERS' BOTHER.

NZ Truth, Issue 140, 22 February 1908, Page 3

BUTCHERS' BOTHER.

THE CHRISTCHURCH AIEAT

CO.'S CLOSENESS.

Boss Merritt Hasn't Any Merit.

The Antics of Mister 'Arris.

, The Ohristchurch Meat Company is a wealthy institution that has made its-* mark m the bone and sausage trade m the city of. that name. It possesses something like seven shops there, and some of them are run on very 'queer principles, denoting fearful and wonderful management | which has been the talk of the butchering tradu for some time. All the time, m fact. The 1 company's own employ^ ees. or some of that grumbling crowd,, don't say much m the way of praise at the way they are treated ; m fact, they run the show down something considerable, and heartily wish that their lives were cast m better places. Liberality isn't a strong point with the C.M.C., and its clerks have reason to know it. Now, if what writer hears is accurate, and it is apparently painfully so, it is a custom of the trade to allow the men to take home a little meat for personal consumption, especially on a Saturday m view of Sunday morning. There is scarcely a butcher m Christchurch who isn't allowed this privilege, and no doubt a similar practice obtains m other parts of' the Dominion, or all over it.; , The Christohurch Meat?" Corporation's employees are not behind the times m this respect, and why should they be ? They have always had their cut of a joint and do so still, but the other afternoon three men were discharged from the / Company's sausage department, where a number are employed because they had meat m their pockets, as if a man's pocket would hold much wild bullock or other bovine sundries ! The trio — all well tried, experienced butchers, were dumped off the premises out of hand. ; And they weren't handed their week's wages either. They were •-JUST TOLD TO "CUT," despite"" protests that it was not the customary thing, and that the manager well knew it. Of course, there \ was something behind the whole thing— there usually is, and ip. "the present case jealousy is put down as the cause of manifest spite. It appears that manager Sydney Merritt, the boss panjandrum "of a curious show, was advised nicely and quietly by a jealous sooner of wliat he might find M he took a turn round, whether by telephone or otherwise isn't stated ;' but, however, he got there. And he is one of those sort of blokes who condemn a man without giving him a hearing. Merritt has a real rosy time of it, and no mistake. Let us see ; wasn't he the Merritt who went through the mill at Invercargill, or somewhere down there, for six thousand solid quid or something like that awhile back, or was it for. only twopence ? Anyhow, there wasn't much merit m the perI formance. Yet he now dudes it over a crowd of mer who know something abo 11 ' fV ic business they arc engaged m, and who can finance worth a do?.--en of men like Merritt. He is a bouncer is this same cove. There is another josser who deserves a word