THE MEAT WORKS STRIKE

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10557, 12 February 1912, Page 5

THE MEAT WORKS STRIKE

DISCUSSED BY MASTERTON FARMERS. : STRONG FEELING OF INDIGNATION. The strike of general hands at the Petone and Ngahauranga meat freezing works constituted almost the sole topic of conversation among farmers who were in Mas tor-ton on Saturday. Unlike the tramway .strike, which, though creating temporary inconvenience, touched only the pockets of the community as a whole, the present strike inflicts a direct- loss upon -scores of settlers in this and surrounding districts. In many cases, sheep and lambs are ready for lifting, and some thousands were on the roads ■when news of the strike was received. The latter are, in -many cases, being temporarily paddocked, awaiting further developments. In the meantime, buyers for the Wellington firms have suspended operations. Fortunately the heavy rain which fell on Friday last has stimulated the grass and root crops, and the loss through sheep going back will not be as great as it would have been had the drought remained unlbroken. The Waingawa works are being run at top speed, and are doing something to relieve the pressure. It is impossible for thorn, however, to cope with the rush of fat stock from all parts, and it is •thought that, if the difficulty at Wellington is not soon settled, much j of the surplus stock will be sent to ] Hawke's Bay, and.possibly .to the South Island. The unanimous expression. of farmers; at' the unreasonable .demand which has created. the deadlock is one of deep .resentment and indignation, and riot a few were heard to suggest retaliatory measures. THE POSITION AT WAINGAWA. NO INDICATIONS OF STRIKE. In conversation with an "Age" reporter last night, Mr J. C. Cooper, manager of the Wellington Farmers' Meat Company, stated that everything was running smoothly at the Waingawa works. The men were naturally a little excited over the turn of events at Wellington, and were reported to have held a meeting, but were no present indications of any intention to cease work. The general hands at the works do not belong to a union, though the slaugh- . termen do. The local works will not able to deal with ,the stock of other Companies, as they are already running at top speed to cops with their own supplies. It is understood in Masterton that the Wellington firms intend resisting the demands of tHe men to the bitter end, even if it be necessary to keep . the works closed for the remainder , of the season.' NO NEW DEVELOPMENTS. The Evening Post of Saturday said , there had been no new developments in regard to the strike. The Press Association agent at Wellington was , also silent on the matter yesterday. , The Post sayis that there, was a very < general rumour that the Moat Com-' , panies had decided to turn a drab eye. , on the Strike Committee that was formed at a big mass .meeting of men held in Petone at '4.15 on Friday ■afternoon. Again, the whispering 'jade had it that' the. Gear Meat , Company, at any rale, was willing to dose down the.works at this stage for i the season, and 'carry out some very ,■ necessary improvements and additions. ;

NOT OVER COMMUNICATIVE. . la regard to the "Union, a Post reporter approached Mr W. G. Lodder, engineer in charge of the Company's worksr That official was not over,communicative. When the question was put to liiirv direct, he replied, "I really cannot say anything for publication. We have not seen the men since they left the works. So far as I know the position is as it was yesterday; it is unchanged. We have not been approached by the so-called Strike Committee." That was all. Air Lodder was not prepared to discuss the a-umour that the companies were not averse to closing up altogether at the present time. MEN- SILENT; A conspiracy of silence still prevails among the men. Nothing - is to be communicated -to the press. "But this much has been freely said outside: That the Gear Meat Company, at least, has at this stage got over the worst hurdle safely, and can now (afford to keep shut for a full fortnight without any serious hurt. The clerks and heads of departments, and permanent hands, have combined in excellent fashion to clean up, and at time of writing the company's directors are in, a position to sit tight and say' nothing for a- fortnight. Practically all the perishable goods are now properly cared for. SHOULD THE ENGINES STOP. The engine room employees are so far standing firm, and while they do so there is no danger threatened the galleries of carcases in the refrigerator. But should the engines stopwell . The clerks in particular have done excellently. Not only have they dropped the pen to take up more grossly utilitarian tools, but they have even assisted as drovers—some of them "shooed" a flock of sheep out to the Taita* to-day to graze. LIKELY TO BE MORE SERIOUS. ' One authority, who is quite in a

position to know of what he declares that the strike is likely to bo serious. A permanent hand who has been doing the work that the general labourers left unfinished, has been approached by several of the militant "outers," and had the error of his ways —according to the 'striEers' views—pointed out to him. "Yon are 'scabbing' on us," he was informed. There is an idea- that that feeling will grow and intensify as themen with their hands in their pockets more and more feel the pinch. It is not unlikely that further steos will be taken in the direction of the permanent men as time elapses and the strikers find the companies persistent passive resisters. Another permanent employee, an old servant of the company, was held up politely at tihe corner of Victoria Street, and invited to come out. He replied that the company had stood.to him in a previous personal trouble, and he intended to stand by the company now. In practically all the departments there is a proportion of these loyalists at work. In the tinsmiths' department the wheels were still running to-day, six men being engaged at work upstairs, and another six downstairs in the preserving department.

MASS MEETINGS. Nothing definite is available as to what took place at the mass meeting on Friday. There are stories in circulation of further mass meetings. The Strike Committee was formed with, the purpose of representing the body of the workers* out in conference with the employers. This Strike Committee met on Saturday at 1Q o'clock in the Oddfellows' Hall; but. nothing .definite has transpired. It is practically certain that nothing really was done beyond a very candid and vigorous discussion of affairs. .

POSITION OF SLAUGHTERMEN.

What little work there was for the slaughtermen was done. A meeting was held between j.O and 11 o'clock to discuss the position of Ihe "killers," and it is understood that these men will cease work immediately outside labour is employed. COAL SUPPLIES.. • The Gear Company is said to have in stock a full twelve months' supply of coal. There is also a good reserve, it is understood, at Ngahauranga, where many of the furnaces are fed automatically. It was stated in PeV one that if "gutty boys" could have been obtained at Ngahauranga torday, work would have been resumed, as usual.

EEPASTITKED STOCK. ' AHne of empty skeleton, truoks adjoining the company's works speaks eloquently. Yesterday ~a flock: of sheep were yarded adjacent, but today, they are not, so far as Petone is concerned. Two- thousand went away •to the Wairarapa. last night, a . further batch, of 2500 this morning, •while, as before told, 1000 went out •to the Nairiiai before men who had •ceased driving a pen for a while to drive sheep .to pasture. And this is •the blessing of the rain—that it spells •green grass and more green grass in the country, and so the sheep are safe •awhile from the knife at Petone and •Ngaliauranga. •' ■

SAFE UP TO THE PRESENT. So, according to all signs an 3 ■symptoms, there should be no material to the products insidei the factories while the engine room •remains-loyal. Pressure has been applied to these hands, but they have ■resisted thus-far. '