BACON-CURING INCREASES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 896, 13 February 1930, Page 12

BACON-CURING INCREASES

DEVELOPMENT IN AUCKLAND SEPARATE AWARD SOUGHT The phenomenal development in bacon-curing in Auckland in the past four years, during which production lias increased from 36,000 pigs to 79,000, was referred to in the Arbitration Court today -when firms engaged in this business applied for a separate award to cover this industry. Supporting the application, Mr. S. R. Wright, on behalf of the employers said that the proposed award did not suggest removing the slaughtering' of pigs from the purview of the Butchers’ Award. Until a few years ago baconcuring done in Auckland was very small, and the work was performed by butchers and therefore it was desirable to leave the slaughtering of pigs under the award governing that trade. Since 1925, however, bacon-curing here had more than doubled, five firms showing the following increases in output of bacon pigs:—13,000 to 31,000, 9,000 to 15,000, 35,000 to 70,000, 10,000 to 22,000 and 1,000 to 4,000. Curing had developed on factory lines and was not now merely a butcher’s sideline. The production of pigs likewise had been increasing and this, with the development of curing, had caused reaction upon one another. He pointed out that separate awards for bacon curers were now in existence in Cauterbuiw and Wellington. The sale of bacon was keenly competed for in all parts of New Zealand, and, he said, the Auckland firms in this business wanted to be placed on a basis on which they could meet this competition on equal terms. An agreement had now been reached in the Auckland butchers’ dispute, and in this provision would be made for bacon-curing to be carried on by firms in a small way. Mr. Wright suggested that the court’s decision in this case should be referred back to the Conciliation Council in finalising the Butchers’ Award. It was proposed to include small goods shops in the proposed Bacon Curers’ Award, he added.

Evidence in support of the application was given by F. A. Hellaby and Frederick Harrison. It was stated that the increase in bacon-curing here was largely caused by the displacement of outside competition, and a substantial increase in consumption. The application was opposed by Mr. "W. E. Sill, on behalf of the union. He said that the principal objection to a separate award for bacon-curers was that this industry was interwoven and was similar to that carried on by butchers. I-Ie argued it would be unfair to have different conditions and rates of pay for big and small men in the same line of business, and he maintained that the workers would certainly object to any such arrangement. He remarked that the employers were apparently now satisfied that the slaughtering of pigs should be done under the Butchers’ Award, although, previously. they had opposed this idea. Mr. Sill reminded the court that the increase in the pigcuring business bad been made while the trade was operating under the Butchers’ Award, but no reference had been made by employers to any point by which this award inconvenienced these operations. The bacon-curing trade had increased at the expense of the factories in the South, lie said, in contending that both big and small men in this line should be on the same level in conditions and rates of pay. The court reserved its decision.