BUTCHERS' WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 250, 21 October 1919, Page 6

BUTCHERS' WAGES.

INCREASE ASKED FOR. COST OF LAUNDERING. j ONE OF THE RBASONS. An amendment of the existing award; was sought by the Auckland Butchers, Meat Preservers, and Bacon Curers'; Union at the Arbitration Court before hid Honor Mr. Justice Stringer thie morning, in the direction of an increase.; in wages. It was asked that in addition | to the bonus of 10 per cent, the workers, be paid not Jess than the following 1 rate*:—4 First shojimmn or man in charge,! £4 2/6; second shopman, £3 15/; first I small-gondsman, .C 4 2/G; other workers, including shopmen, small-goodsTnen, car-j ters in charge of hawking or order; carte, and general hands, £3 12/6; j drivers driving one horse, £3 2/; drivers driving two horses. £3 4/. -Mr. Wright appeared for the employers and Mr. W. E. Sill for the union. Mr. Sill gave a. comparison by means o.f graphs of the rates of pay between, butchers and workers in other trades, i showing that the rates for the former were lower than for the latter. ■Evidence was given by several shopmen to s-how the increase in tlie cost of j laundering their coats and aprons. One said he wore eight coats and twelve aprons per week, and that it cost him now from 14/ to 1;")/ to have them! laundered, while another wore on an] average s-ix coats per week, and twelve aprons, which cost him about 10/ per week to have laundered. It cost fid more to hay coats laundered now, and id more to have aprons laundered than it did twelve months ago. Several other witnesses said they had left the trade because the rate of pay wars insufficient. Mr. Wright said that from the commencement of the war to the time of the making of the award, the butchers had received an increase for first shopmen of 17.S per cent; second shopmen 111.17 per cent, all others 21.41 per cent, small goodsmen 17.S per cent, drivers of one horse :i:i per cent, and drivers of two horses a little over 33 per cent. C.eorge Frederick Lane, manager of the Auckland Meat Company, gave evidence as to the rise in prices on the fat stock market. Prime ox, which in October last was sold for "il/fi per lOOlb., was now fetching 114/ per 1001b.. a difference of l-_»/fi. There was a corresponding mcc reuse in tlie price of other .qualities, and at present they were actually losing 7/ on every sheep that was retailed, and £3 on each bullock they handled. As a mutter of fact they were not getting their expenses back, and if the' increase were granted they would have to approach the Board of Trade for permission t'> increase the retail prices. Mr. Sill asked if they were not getting meat out of the freezers at the Imperial prices, to which Mr. Lane replied that the trouble was that the public did not want frozen meat. Mr Sill stated that the Board of Trade i bad fixed certain prices which were smp- ' posed to be prices that would give a fair return. In addition to this, account had to be taken of tffe side lines, vich as j manures, hides, tails, and fat. Tallow, ! for instance, was at present bringing ! somewhere in the vicinity of 100,' per ,-w-t.. and dripping hail jumped up from i 7d. to 10d. per lb. in a few weeks, pos- ! ssihly due to the fact that butchers found ' tha.t they could get. a bigger profit ont- ! side New Zealand than they could I locally. He pointed out that one or two butchers were giving their employI ees better conditions than the bigger firms, and that if the small firms could Ho this surely the bigper ones could. ■Moreover, meat was dearer in Auckland than in any of the other centres. Mr. Wright said the increase in prices Had actually been iess than in the other ceirtres. His Honor: Tlie prices were at a higher levpl than before. I suppose? Continniii" Mr Wpsrht characterised as absurd the statement tlmi ; necessary to pay from 10' to 15/ ppr week for laundry work. Tlie Court reserve,! its decision.