WORK AND WAGES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14682, 13 May 1908, Page 8

WORK AND WAGES.

THE BURNSIDE FREEZING WORKS. [Per Press Association.]

DUNEDIN, May 12. '.V'...: There was a. recrudescence of troublo ' at the Burnside Freezing Works this ".'morning, the result being that about H fifteen slaughterhouse assistants *were • .paid off. It appears that last week tho '<£'.'. chamber hands," knowing that there ■•. was some dissatisfaction among the .•-slaughterhouse assistants over the rate ; .\; of wages, induced them to join forces Iwith,themselves and endeavour to get .-higher wages for both classes of work. fvThe chamber, hands were successful in fretting the Is 3d per hour they I stood out for. The slaughterhouse as|sistants, who sought a rise from Hid ,';.an - hour, to Is, were less fortunate. t.They complain that the chamber | hands, having got their own demands I complied witn, ceased to take an inI terest in furthering those of their ffiallies, as they had promised. The assistants ceased work 'on, Saturday, but a mediator appeared in the person of the lnspecaVtor of the Labour Department, who ;;..Undertook to find out what wages were .".paidat Gisborne, Wellington, Islington 4. (Ohristchurch) and Smithfield (TimSed hands agreed to return to work, ■r They,, turned up this morning, but re--fused to begin work except at higher \wages. _ They were accordingly paid '&&. This defection of slaughterhouse i sands somewhat dislocated operations. butchers drew lots as to which Ttff them should continue to-day, and •eight out of fourteen managed to keep >' going. There is no lack of applicants 'lor the vacant positions as slaughter'houiSe assistants, and operations will .go on as usual to-morrow.

: [Per Press Associationt.] AUCKLAND, May 12. ,; A labour crisis was averted by the conciliatory spirit shown at a meeting of the directors of the Taupiri mince ecad members of the Waikato Miners' Union. The directors granted a bonus of 5 per cent on their employees' earn--ings as from April last, the employees agreeing to throw back household coal »3 desired, the requisite facilities to be afforded by the management, and to start work fifteen minutes earlier on fiatprdays. . .'! ' \ NAPIER, May 12. 'The following is a copy of a letter received!, by one of the bakers' drivers concerned in the late strike at Hast-

ings'.from, the Department of Labour: —" I am! directed by the head of the Labour Department to Temind you that in consequence of your conduct in ceasing work without proper and legal notice, you have rendered yourself liable to being proceeded against before tho Arbitration Court for a serious offence I against the Industrial Conciliation and Act, 1905, and I am directecrHp warn you that a similar offeace in. future will be followed by enforcing the'full penalty the law allows. The mere fact, that you are not a member of a'trades union does not relieve you of tho responsibility of the said offence. —Tours faithfully, Ernest W. F. Gohhsj Inspector of Factories."