THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8366, 23 February 1907, Page 5

THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE.

TROUBLE AT GISBORNE. By Telegraph—Press Association. GISBORNE, February 22. The slaughtermen in the local freezing works made a demand for 25s per hundred, an increase of ss, with an intimation that if it were not granted work would stop at 4 p.m. to-day. GISBORNE, Last Night. A meeting of the Freezers' Union is being held to-night, but the proceedings are being kept strictly private, and it is doubtful whether any further information will be obtained to-night. The Secretary of the Union states that there is no truth in the rumour that the men intended knocking off this afternoon. Their request, he stated, was not in the' form of an ultimatum, and they had asked for a reply this afternoon to enable them to discuss the matter further at the meeting to-night. The request for 25s had been made by men at the time of the making of the award under which they were now working, but it had not been granted and their present request was merely on the lines of their previous claim. Mr De Lautour, Chairman of Directors of the Gisborne Sheep-far-mers' Company, stated that a similar ' request for an increase of the rate of pay to that made to Messrs Nelson Bros, had been forwarded to the Gisborne Company, and the matter was under the consideration of the directors. The time of the award under which the men have been working expired in August last, but under the Act it continues in force until! superceded by a fresh award. ; PAREORA BUTCHERS OUT. By Telegraph- Press Association. TIMARU, February 22. Another strike occurred at the Pareora Freezing Works this morning, forjy-five butchers there employed declining to start killing unless they were promised payment at the rate of 25s per hundred. Some of the slughtermen, when interviewed, said that butchers at all the ' freezing works in Canterbury were in sympathy with them in their demand for this increase of five shillings per hundred. Messrs Borthwick and Sons, who put large numbers of sheep through the Pareora works, to-day offered to pay the Slaughtermen the rate they now demand to kill about 2,000 sheep for Messrs Borthwick and Sons to-mor-row. ' The offer will probably be accepted. It is understood that a conference between representatives of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company and the slaughtermen is being held in Christchurch to-day, and the men on strike are awaiting the result. (The last trouble at Pareora was strike of slaughtermen's assistants, which collapsed.) RECENT STRIKE AT WELLINGTON. PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE COURT. By Telegraph Press A ssoc i a *i° n - WELLINGTON, Last Night. At a sitting of the Arbitration Court, this morning, proceedings were commenced against the slaughtermen'who went out on strike at the Gear Company's and Meat Export Company's works. Mr Skerrett appeared for the men, and raised a pre liminary objection, which was not upheld, claiming that the Court had no jurisdiction. 'Arthur Cooper, President of the Union, stated that the Union met on the night of February 11th, about 90 members attending. •It was decided that the offer qf the.companies was unsatisfactory, and that immediate steps should be taken to cancel the registration of the Union. They did not exactly discuss a strike—"knocking off work" was the expression used. Several members—he could not remember exactly who—talked of it. There was not a word at the meeting about stopping work next morning. The only part taken by . the Union was at the meeting at which the proposed new agreement was discussed. The Union had in no way aided or abetted the strike or applied any of its funds to that purpose. His expenses all came out of his own pocket. Edward Corner, manager of the stock department at the Gear Company's works, said that on the day the men stopped work they'said they knew quite well what they were doing. On the day of the strike there were 10,000 sheep and lambs at the works, but by the time the company got the supply of sheep stopped coming down from the country the number reached between 10,000 and 12,000/ Richard Jones, one of the butchers at the Meat Export Company's works, and until lately President of the Slaughtermen's Union, and one of the defendants, was called. He said he stopped work of his own motion, as he thought, of leaving the district. He had no idea why the men ceased work. He had done nothing. to aid or abet tiie strike. No evidence was called for the defence. Counsel in addressing the Court for the defence, contended that was no case to answer. The agreement between the parties of 1904 had not been filed until one day after the 31 days from its completion allowed by statute. The Court reserved its decision.