THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 8753, 1 March 1907, Page 2

THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE

Arbitration Court’s Decision

Per Press Association. , , 'WtLLi&GTONj February 28. The Arbitration Court gave itd decision this afternoon in tho case against the butchers at. Fetoue and Ngafiaurariga, who loft fchfelr work recently. The Courthold that it is cleat that industrial agreement referred to in suh-scctioh §, of c section 15, must moan an agreement which is valid and effectual under tho provisions of the Industrial Conciliation J and Arbitration Acts and said the question : wo have to determine is whether tho , agreement of tho Ist of August, 1904, is ‘ such valid and effectual agreement. This 1 agreement purports to have been made ! “ This Ist day of August, 1904, between ' the Wellington Slaughtermens Union of J Workers of the one part and tho Gear Bleat Preserving aiid Freezing Company of Now Zealand* Ltd., and tho Wellington Bleat Export Coy.; Ltd., of the other * part.” It appears ftoih t :i - .evidence that this agreement was executed by the Union first and in pursuance of a resolution made on thfi 17th of June, 1004,- and confirmed on the lltb of JitlV, 1904, at a special meeting called for the purpose. Mr Cooper, the secretary of the Union could .not swear as to tho OXabt ditto oh which it was executed by_ tho Union, hut Was positive chat it winexecuted before the 28th day of July 1904, tho date on which, according to the attestation clause, it was executed by the Wellington Bloat and Export Co., and Mr Cooper thought that it.was executed on some day after tho 11th of July. According to the attestation clause it was executed by tho Gear Bleat Co. on tho 30th of July, 1904. On those Mr Skorrett, for the men, contended that tho date of mailing of the agreement had not been truly stated therein, as required by the Act and, further, that the 11th of July, liffil, which ismentionedin the attestation clause, could DC regarded as the date of making of the agreement. Then, as tho agreement was Clod on-the 11th August, 1904, it had net been filed within thirty days after making thereof, prescribed by the Act. Section 23 provides that a duplicate 6£ tho original of every industrial agreement shall; .within thirty days after making thereof, bu filed in, the office of the Clerk of the Industrial DistricS'ylitrp the agreement is made. Section 20 provides that every industrial agreement duly made, executed and filed shall be binding on the parties thereto, and also on every member of an industrial union or an association which is a party thereto. Section 28 provides that industrial agreements shall bo enforceable under the Act and not otherwise. Now it is clear that the agreement in the present cases does not comply with the requirements of subsection 3, of section 24, in that tho date of making thereof is not truly stated therein. The date of making thereof was the date on which it was executed by tho Union, viz., some clay between the 11th and 28th of July, 1904, Whereas in tho agreement tho date on which it is stated to have been made is the Ist clay of August, To ascertain whether an agreement, has been filed in time or not, it is es.eutial that the date should bo truly stated in the agreement so that the parties who are interested may know at once from an examination of the agreement as filed whether it has been filed within the prescribed time. Filing within the prescribed time is clearly essential to the validity of tho agreement, and tho scheme of the Act seems to bo to give the parties 30 days from the date when an agreement [is first executed by auy party to get it completely executed and filed. The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act makes an agreement perfected hi accordance with the requirements of the Act binding on the parties thereto, and also on all individual members of unions and associations bound by it, and confers on parties the right of having the provisions of the agreement enforced in the same way as an award of the Court, and any breach thereof punished by fino. This gives to an industrial agreement force and efficiency not possessed by any contract at common law, and, before an agreement can acquire this force and efficiency, it must comply with the requirements of tho Act. This the agreement of the Ist of August, 1994, has not done, and wo hold, therefore, that it was not an industrial agreement within the moaning of tho Act. The result is that the applications in all cases must bo dismissed. Developments Yesterday. Per Press Aft delation. Dunedin, February 28. There arc no fresh developments re tho strike at Burnside. The hands are waiting advice from the North before deciding whether to resume work. There was a rumour this morning that the butchers employed at the Burnside Freezing Works had returned to work, but ■ this was not true. The men were about the place at the usual time, but did not mount to the killing beds. They are waitingfor word of the expected settlement at Christchurch. * Departments of the works, not directly concerned with the slaughtering, have still Work enough to keep tho men going. The men were informed this morning that if they resumed work, the Company would pay them.as from that day whatever was finally decided upon at Christchurch, hut they declined to start work until everything was settled up North. At tho corporation abattoirs slaughtermen are working as usual to-day. They are not employed at so much per 100 but are on time work, being engaged by the week. There were one or two rumours that they contemplated knocking off tomorrow, but enquiries have failed to verify this. The Hon. J. A. Millar, seen at the railway station this afternoon, en route to Christchurch, said that as head of the Department directly affected by tho strike, he intended to have tho law respected. He anticipated no difficulty in recovering tho lines enforced by relying on tho ordinary civil process. As to the action of the slaughtermen, tho Blinister said they were only preparing a rod for their own backs. It has become pretty generally accepted that tho men from Australia are at the bottom of tho whole trouble and Blr Blillar shares this view. These people boasted of having done the same thing in Australia, and, having got what they wanted, they were going to do it here. Those of the itinerant slaughterers, who had made tho first movo at Petone, anticipated being out of harm’s way before the Court could reach them, and tho promptitude of tho Department had given them a sot back. With an air of determination tho Blinister said in conclusion : “ I’m not going to have these Australians coming hero and defying law and upsetting things generally.’’ : iNYEECAisai:.!., February 2S. . The slaughtermen out ou strike held a conference this morning and waited on the Managing Director of the Southland Frozen Bleat Company, but no definite arrangements were arrived at. It is probable they will again confer with tho manager this afternoon. There is no remarkable change in regard to the strike in Southland, though it is notable that four men at Mataura, wiio are local residents, have refused to acknowledge any obligation to follow tho main body, and are still at work. At a conference between employers and employees at Invercargill this afternoon an attempt was made to effect a reconciliation, but no decision was come to. This afternoon the slaughtermen met and took tho preliminary steps necessary for, the formation of a Union. Napier, February 28. Tho position at the North British and Hawke’s Bay Freezing Works at the Western Spit is still unsettled. Tho sheep slaughtermen turned out ou Wednesday morning, but made a formal application for an increase in the killing rate, and intimates that they would only work until 10 a.m. unless the demands were acceded to. Tho manager of tho Company stated that ho had no doubt tho Company would agree to pay the same rate as that arranged in other parts of the colony, but ho could give no guarantee of this until he had consulted the directors. Tho men said this was not sufficient, and tho mutton nun went out, it being understood the. beef men would follow suit when they had finished tho animals thoy were thou engaged on. However, later in the day it was rumored that tho beef men would commence killing sheep as soon as thoy had finished tho • cattle, and this caused tho sheepmen to resume work. This morning all wero in their places except one man, but the men intend holding another meeting to further consider the position. Tho men state that they have always been treated fairly by the Company and have only taken their present action in order to assist tho slaughtermen in other parts of tho colony, and to obtain n higher rate than that at present ruling.

Tho Red Herring. Wkllixgtox, February 28. At a mooting of tho Welling ton Trades amFl'Labour Council last night tho following resolution wa passed :~That this Oonnoil roaflims tho policy of a white New Zealand, and regrets to note the fact that certain hotelkeepers in Wellington are making an attack on this policy by their determination to employ Chinese in preference to Europeans. [lt will ho noted no mention is made of tho strike. ] The Position To-day. Oisuoknc, March 1. A meeting of slaughtermen last night decided to ask Mr Tewnley,

of Gisborne, to act as mediator. The proposal will tie laid before the directors of tho Sheep Farmers' Company- today. Tho position at both works is unchanged. The men at Nelson Bros’, are again killing one lamb per hour. Dunedin, Blarch 1. "ThO men are still out at Burnside, awaiting developments in tho north. CliinslcHUKcn, March 1. There is no change in tho position of the strike to-day. For tho work of defiling with potters, and proservers by means Of casual labour 30 men were put ou tho killing board. The Belfast Co. ’s men are still waiting for tho Union to approach them,The men, ou tho other hand, are jri no trepidation, and apparently take a complaisant view of the position; All have boon served with citations to appear before tho Arbitration Court on Tuesday. , • Invercargill, March 1., _ Tho strike situation has altered to-' day. It is practically decided that the men shall start at Blataura to slaughter sheep on the ground at 25s and Ocean Beach will probably do li fowiso. The men agreed to slaughter for a big Home buyer at 25s at Wallacetown, but so far tho company has not given the use of tho works. Only nine of tho strikers are not Southlanders. .