THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 53, 2 March 1907, Page 4

THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S STRIKE.

MATAHRA MEN ALL OUT. (By Telegraph-—Press Association.)' GORE, Friday. The men afc the Mataura works were given an hour and a-half this morning to say whether they would resume work or not. They did not start, and the four men who were killing beef yesterday are also out to-day. A loan of the works was granted to Mr F. Wallis to kill 2250 lambs, and he has made arrangements with the men. to kill these for him this afternoon at the 25/ per hundred rate. The Hon. J. A. Millar's allegation that Australians are at the bottom of the' trouble is certainly true as far as the Mataura works are concerned, the prime movers there being several Sydneysiders, who have been particularly keen on - the question of striking. They made no secret of their connection with the strikes in Australia, and the success that attended them. There is a feeling abroad that the strike is in the fizzling-out stages. GISBORNE. ! (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) GISBOKNE, Friday. The men to-day submitted a proposal through, the Mayor (Mr Townley) that the Sheep Farmers' Company should pay the 25/ per hundred, pending the sitting of the Arbitration Court to hear the case, both parties then to abide by the answer made. The company was willing to give a retrospective wage, dependent on the award, but would not accept the proil>sal to pay 25/ prior to the award being made. If the award allows a substantial increase, the company will cheerfully pay the same as from Eebruary 22, the date of the men's demand for an increase. About 40 summonses for breach of the award will be issued by the Labour Department against local slaughtermen. The sitting of the Court will he* held here within a fortnight. ILL EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE. THE LAW MUST BE KESPECTED. STATEMENT BY THE ACTINGPBEMTER. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CHBISTCHUBCH, Friday. Speaking to-day at a luncheon to the visiting newspaper proprietors, the Act-ing-Premier, Mr. Hall-Jones, said New Zealand at present occupied a proud position, and they had to be careful that nothing was done by which the progress of the pastffesw s years might be affected, and that nothing should be done to cause any reaction or cessation in the onward move. He would illustrate what he meant. We had a big meat trade with the Old Country, and he knew that it had been cabled to the Old Land that a strike had occurred in New Zealand, and that the men were leaving the works. A meat buyer in the Old Country would! say to himself, "Trouble in New Zealand? We may have to look out for fresh supplies. If we cannot get supplies from New Zealand, then we must look to some other source for them." The mere' suggestion of strike or the cessation of our supplies was calculated to do' us an immense amount of harm. There, was no need, for any trouble. • Some - people had said the Act had failed. He said it had not failed. The Act was as strong as they could wish it to be, the only thing that had failed had been this: That those who should have done so, had not taken advantage of the provisions of the Act. Two cases had been brought before the Courts recently. There was the Pareora case in which the Act did not fail; the men were fined Then there was the case in Wellington, where the Act was not at fault, but the fault was with those who did not see that the agreement with .the men had been executed in the terms prescribed by the Act; that was not the fault of the Act. One of the difficulties he foresaw was that- it would be necesary to provide for matters brought before the Court being more expeditiously dealt with. If that was going to assist in a solution of the question, then that additional assistance would be provided by the Government. In the cases that had occurred it was regrettable to think that those who had been the prime movers were, many of them, most of them, not people belonging to our own colony. The Government realised their responsibility, and in the present position of affairs they realised that the law in all its integrity must be sustained, and those powers which existed for the enforcement of the law must be so enforced. It was for the benefit of every man, woman, and child in the colony to see that our laws, as j passed by Parliament, were enforced.