THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S DEMANDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 10713, 3 December 1912, Page 6

THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S DEMANDS.

ITo The Editor.]

Sir,—l would like, through the medium of your paper, to remove some of the misrepresentations regarding the slaughtermen's demands, which Mr Cooper says have been made, and Mr Foster says have not been made. The, slaughtermen regard Mr Cooper's action in the light of making a difficult situation much more so, by trying to enlist public sympathies against the .slaughtermen. In dealing with the increased rate, that Mr Cooper says has been demanded, has he. taken into consideration the fact that not

« season passes without a great number of serious accidents, resulting in total or partial disablement, and that j any slaughterman is lucky to get through a season without a bad cut resulting in a loss of considerable time; also that the accident insurance companies ask a much high premium of men engaged in the slaughtering than in any other trade. Mr Cooper also forgets to refer to the fact that the slaughtermen in Canterbury find ' other sheds only averaged £BO per | man for the season's work last year. Tn regard to the learners' clause, which Mr Cooper says has been demanded, he states that it is quite unreasonable, as it will not allow for the increasing demands of the trade and for the wastage of men. The slaughtermen, on their part, consider that the. companies of New Zealand taught enough -slaughtermen last year to -moot al! demands for the next I've years, and it is a factthat there are more men than hooks at the present time, although there has been ;1 large increase in the killing accommodation

jof several works. He also states tliat j the covering of the sheep yards is an I unreasonable demand. Taking the J weather of the last week as a guide.

it looks to the men who work quite

the opposite. How is it that the Gear and Meat Export Companies covered their yards without a. demand to do so, was it to get rid of some of the. surplus cash? Do covered yards not keep tho stock up in condition, ai-d

do clean, dry sheep kill otit better than wet,- dirty ones? Mr Cooper says* it is serious for the companies, serious for the farmers, serious for

the men willing to work under fair

conditions. It must be serious for the companies, looking at their annual balance-sheets, also for the farmers seeing tho high prices quoted for .vtock, and the slaughtemeu demanding three-fifths of a penny per htead increase for labour. I «lso would like to refer tho editor to the Gear Company's balance-sheets, also to the price of stock, before he .starts out abusing the "grab-alls" in another little editorial note, and also to remember that there are always two sides to a question. Ido not intend to follow this matter any further, by defending demands that Mr Foster says do not exist. If they do, I hope to see a peaceful settlement. —I am, etc.,

J. H. BISHOP Olarevillo, N'ovember 30, 1912.