FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 115, 11 April 1930, Page 5

FREEZING WORKS DISPUTE

GO-SLOW TACTICS. / Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April 10. The go-slow tactics adopted by the freezing works slaughtermen at South Otago last week spread to Canterbury to-day, and affected operations at some of the local works. Exact information as to the extent of the interference with tho normal running of the works oannot be obtained. In some quarters the hope is entertained ,of a settlement to-morrow, and in, others fear is expressed that the movement may spread so as to involve all the Canterbury works. The cessation or slowing up of killing is particularly unfortunate at present, as the shortage of feed, owing to the long dry spell which is still unbroken over most of the province, has been forcing farmers to send their sheep and lambs to the works in large numbers. The killings were reduced to-day by go-slow tactics and with stopwqjk metings at Borthwick’s works at Belfast, at tho North Canterbury Sheepfarmers’ Works at Kaiapoi, and at the Canterbury Frozen. Meat Works at Belfast. Work was not affected at the Islington works of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, nor at tho Fairfield works at Ashburton. There has never been a time when trouble at the works has had such serious possibilities. FOUR SHEEP AN HOUR. Per Press Association. TIMAItU, April 10. At the Pareora freezing works today normal killing proceeded until 11 o’clock, when the butchers ceased work, held a meeting and resumed "0 minutes later at a “go-slow” rate of four sheep per hour. A further meeting was held during the lunch hour. When the men took the board at one o’clock the foreman butcher requested them to resume normal killing. Twenty men of the permanent staff were agreeable, but tho remainder, 33, held out. As work was not commenced at 2.30 o’clock the boards were washed down for the day. At Smithfield works normal work proceeded throughout the morning. A meeting lasting, two hours was then held,' when the men resumed at the “go-slow” pace.