FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 99, 21 January 1926, Page 4

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE

UNION ORGANISER'S STATEMENT.

Bz Telegraph—Press Association.

Gisborne, January 20. “Cowardly camouflage and political jugglery” were the terms used by Sir. R. Semple, Dominion organiser of the Freezing Workers* Union in describing to a Gisborne “Times” reporter the circumstances that led to the dispute between the employees and employers in the Canterbury Freezing Works. Mr. Semple is at present visiting Gisborne on business connected with the union, which, he states, has no connection with the dispute. . In explaining the circumstances that led up to the trouble, Mr. Semple stated that the rates of pay for freezing workers in Now Zealand were below those paid in Australia. In Australia, he said, slaughtermen were paid £2 ss. per hundred, while in New Zealand they were paid only 38s. 6d. for big sheep, and 365. for lambs. Labourers were, paid a minimum wage of 18s. per day in Austialia, while here there was a flat rate of 2s. per hour. As many slaughtermen came over from Australia for the season there was a considerable amount of dissatisfaction over the wages and the Arbitration Court, realising the dissatisfaction, had, prior to the elections, given judgment for an extra penny per hour. The Court’s decision in the case, was ridiculously insincere and only designed to confuse the minds of the workers. It caused -industrial unrest, stated Mr. Semple. The decision had a tag to it. The judgment for an extra penny was subject to the approval of the employers. It could be quite clearly seen then that as the freezing workers* award did not expire until 1927 the employers would not be agreeable to any increase, -lucre could be little doubt in his mind that the decision was given for political purposes, but it was done in such a scientific manner that the minds of the workers were confused, and they had not seen the flaw’ until after the elections. The duty of the Court, he maintained, should be to create industrial peace and not unrest. When the new season had started said Mr. Semple, the workers n the Canterbury district realised the unfairness of ihe decision, and adopted go-slow tactics in an endeavour to force the hands of the employers, but nothing eventuated, and from information he had received they were now working at a normal pace. . „ "The law of supply and demand, said Mr. Semple, "has been responsible for the wages of slaughtermen in the Auckland district:, and at flic Mairoa works being increased by 2s. fid. per hundred.” This increase, he said, had merely been granted in an endeavour to entice the workers from other districts.

The Stratford Borough Council evidently intend to enforce strictly the regulations prohibiting cars being double banked or parked facing the wrong way (states the “Post”). A local club has received a l ' letter from Hie council intimating that the practice adopted ' bv sundry members of. parking tlieir cars outside the building in other than the correct manner under the regulations must cease or proceedings will be taken against offenders. The Egmont National Park Board has decided to put in hand the improvement of the track from the Stratford house to Dawson’s Falls track. The heavy rains have scoured out the track rendering it difficult to negotiate (states the “Taranaki Daily News”L The board’s staff has recently been engaged in improving the track to Bell’s Falls. Recent slips had almost obliterated the track in one or two places, and now a cutting has been made thitough the rock at the dangerous place to avoid a route that is subject to slips. This week the northern track is to be raked in and blinded, giving a better surface than is now provided. "Tell him to come in if lie wants to see me,” said a New Plymouth hotelkeeper to a messenger who told him the other day that a person outside the building wanted to see him. The visitor came in—on the back of a heavy horse he was riding. The stamping of hoofs echoed through the bar-room, and did not die down until the lofty visitor, his business over, lowered his head to get out under the top of the door. It was certainly a case of high Jinks, for the practical humorist was a well-known character in the town (states the “Taranaki Herald”).