SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7022, 10 January 1910, Page 6

SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE

THE THREATENED STEIKE

ONE OF THE WOEKEES'- STOEY.

~ "Yes, and. we slaughtermen could well do with. 25s per hundred for. our. work." So spoke an, eniploj'oe at the ' Sniitlhi. field Works' to a "Timoxu Herald" reporter. "Now, take our posdtiijn last year,"' he continued. "On the, average we made alrout .£7O for ■t!he. season, just about ten pounds less than the ■ previous year. Think of the conditions of our . work, t00..' The buildings themselves are, of course,, fairly suitable; and are handy to town. But often you know'we meet with • slight- aooidents,- ! such;; as poisoned .fingers,-"broken; nails, cut hiaaidi, and so on. -Why, only"->this mornling one of my moites gashed three of - bis* fingers very badly, and had toy knock off. "lilt is the same- with, any,- of, vs. \ If we. feaive a slight.: aqpident, lit \ is' no use at alii to keep on. • Hanidltoig, a- sheep .with an open cut in your nand- is one of the most painful. games I have- ever tried. If s not all smooth work, arid during wet, wintry. : days we are shivering afl the time. The work is very hard, and worse, than that, wo don't get enough out of'it; " Last year we,' often : went out to the ©beds for one and a half sheep a day and then came home. Surely no one expects a man to have three 'feeds 1 a day on a job of that kind.' A liutchoi is merely a. human working, machine; ho has to graft for his" living." We men are rather in the dark as to tho scope of the requests by the slaughtermen's executive, but there need be very little fear of a strike. I think the'eompanies 'recognise that a'change is required,, and also that the season is a heavy on>o and that slaughtermen are scarce; 25s per hundred as against 23s per hundred would only mean a difference of JElfl in our cheques,- but we would be glad -of it. I said the season was a heavy one,.and so it is; sheep are-coming for. .ward rapidly, and on - Thursday . e-ren-ing there were no less than 9000 at tho works. . There are 35 butchers employed at Smithfield; we work from 7 a.m. tili 5 p.m., and can kill about 85 sheep 1 per dav- each. Men are scarce because many have not, returned - from- tho other side, where 2.5 s per hundred is th© minimum. In districts in Australia where it is onlv" possible to kill seven sheep an hour on account of th<eir conditions butchers are getting 30s per hundred, so you will see they have ample inducement to remain there."

It. has been' represented to u» thti.t an article published in the "N.Z. Time? 1 on Saturday, referring to tie troubk between slaughtermen and. their em< ployors, conveys the impressxoi that tin companies had proposed to ajbolish.paiy« memt for from the terms of employment. Though, we do not admit .this to be sd, or that |he explanation in any way affects tno article, wo desire to trivo publicity to an. aufchoritative statement that the employers have made no such proposition.