SLAUGHTERMEN'S DEMANDS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 167, 15 July 1907, Page 5

SLAUGHTERMEN'S DEMANDS.

CONCILIATION BOARD RESUMED. The Conciliation Board to deal with the demands of the Auckland Slaughtermen's Union resumed thi3 morning. Tile Board comprises his Worship the Mayor or Auckland (Mr. A. M. Myers) President; Messrs. J. Marks and H. Moody (for the employers), and A. White and E. Flannigan (for the ■ workers). Mr. F. R. Bust appeared for the slaughtermen, and Mr. C Gxosvenor for the butchers.

The first witness called this morning was Louis Miller, who said he had been head sl-aughterman at Messrs. Mellaby's for eight years. He was a. contractor. His contract price was 1/6 per bullock, and 25/ a hundred fox mutton. He paid his employees weekly wagea. Three first beef butshers at £-3, and three mutton butchers at £2 10/. The men did not work .overtime. The average daily work was "nob eight hours. The work was hard, but no harder than other work. Piece work was the fairer at freezing works, but at other establishments a weekly wage was preferable. Slaughtering required a certain amount of skill, but not so very much. A smart man would soon pick it up. A fair day's work on mutton for shop purposes was eight sheep an hour. To Mr. Grosvenor: Witness learned his trade at Hellaby's 20 years ago. It took lour or five years to become an efficient slaughterman- He had neve* , suffered any iU-health through his trade. In all his experience he had only known of about three men who had had to lay up through ill-health through thefr trade. Witness preferred killing for shop work, to killing for tlie freezer. For a mixed mob of cattle, twelve was a fair daily average for a first-|tlass man. Witness' 3 men killed from seven to tea beasts a day. Witness thought that time and a quarter was fair for overtime. To Mr Bust: Witness thought that £3 a week was a fair wage for ordinary slaughtermen working for small men, but capable of also doing other work. Charles Carter, a general slaughterman, said that he took six or seven, years to become proficient at his trade. For dressing beef he received £-3 per week. Prior to that he received £2 15/. Forty to fifty sheep per day, fir eight bullocks, was a fair day's work. Slaughtering was strenuous and hard work. All men should be paid on piece work. It was essential that foremen should be employed at all large works, and should be paid a weekly wage. He had known of six men who had died as the result of their trade.

To Mr Grosvenor: He had worked at freezing works, and his average was 55 sheep a day. That was about nine years ago. He had known of works where men were limited to eight sheep an hour.

David Barry, a foreman slaughterman at the Glasgow Freezing Works, said he had never known of a slaughterman who had served an apprenticeship. He had killed for small butchers at 4d a head. A competent gutman should receive 7/6 a day.

Continuing, the witness said he thought twelve sheep an hour was enough for any man, no matter how expert he was.

(Proceeding.)