THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13847, 9 March 1907, Page 10

THE SLAUGHTERMEN'S DISPUTE.

POSITION AT AUCKLAND. DEMANDS OF Til TO MEN. JPmi United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, March 8. An the result of the meeting of the newly - formed Auckland Slaughtermen's lUnion a log- was vesterdav forwarded to tho Provincial Miwtcr Butchers' Association and several big butchering establishments in Auckland, with tho request that an answer bo given by 5 o'clock to-morrow evening. It is understood that, in tho event of tlio.men erasing work, they will mako arrangements enabling tho employers to maintain the jreat supply for domestic use. Tho principal demands of Hie slaughtermen ate:—Rates for killing for)shop trade at pipework—Beef, per carcase, 3s; mutton and lamb, 5d per head; pigs (all sizes), 2s per head; ealvcs, 1001b weight or under, Is 6d iter head, ealvcs, over 1001b in weight, 2s; giitmen, 10s per day. In private alsittoirs and slaughter-houses killing for the shop trade, beef slaughtermen to bo paid • £4 per week; mutton slaughtermen and general killing, £3 15s; gutmen, £2 10s. In slaughter-houses-for export trade, freezing or preserving, for slaughtering any carCase of beef, 3s per head; for slaughtering mutton or lambs, 25s i>er 100; for slaughtering all pigs, 2s per head; for slaughtering nil ealvcs, 2s per head; gutmen, Is 3d per, liour; trimmers (first), Is 3d per hour; trimmers (second), Is Id per hour; trucker, Is 3d per hour. Tho hours of labour are not to exceed 48 hours per week, except as provided for in druse 13, and no day lo ■ orfoecd 10 hours, caoh week to close no later than 1 p.m. on Saturdays, except for nhop slaughtering in (lie summer time'. All time worked between tho hours of 5 p.m. and 8. a.m. in freezing and preserving shall count as overtime, and shall bo ■paid for at tho rate of 2s per hoifr, and all waiting lime shall count as overtime in such works. All time worked in excess o[ 48 hours per week in slaughteringifor shops, whether working on piecework or weekly, wage, shall Ix> paid for at the rate of 2s per hour, and waiting time shall be counted as overtime. All overtime worked on Sundays or holidays shall count at double the foregoing rates of payment. The .following holidays shall be allowed without stoppage of pay:—New Year's Da.y, Anniversary Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday. the :birthday of tho roifminplSovereign, Labour ■Day, Prince of Wales's Birthday, Christmas 'Day, Boxinc Day, and tho day on which the butchers' annual picnio is held." The imion delegate at each shmghter-houso or •abattoir shall decide what constitutes a ireason&blo day's v.ork on weekly wage. Prcferenco of employment shall lie given to members of tho union on tjie basis of Wio existing; awards. ■THE EMPLOYERS' POINT OF VIEW. In conversation with Mr Stringer, of tho 'Auckland Fanners' Freezing Company, .it was ascertained that, so fat as freezing was concerned, tho demands of tho men meant an increase in several instances,of' 50 per cent. " Tlio demands in regard to tho slaughter aro simply ridiculous," ho : remarked,'and, turning up Hiis payslicct for Bovcral successivo weeks, ho showed : that thcavcrago earnings of'thc.killerwcro from £5 to £7 a week at the present price of 2s ft head for beasts and'2o3 per 100 for sheop. In onovor two instances, whoro the men had worked over 'eight hours, tho figures .reached tho vicinity of £8. "That moans," said Mr Stringer, ""that tlicy now want to mako from £10 lo £12 a week. 15vcn as it is, wo.aro ofto.i humbugged on account of tho men making such high wages, as 'they aro content to work three or four days a week and spell tho rest." Speaking of tho 20s 'paid by his company for shoop, ho said that, as nearly all tho animals they killed wero lambs, that vas prot'ty well as good, ho reckoned, as tho i23ft paid in Wellington. Moreover, there .was.no limit put on the number killed in a day, as was tho practice in the south. Tho nvorago was about 100 in tho eight i hours, but sonio men woro very much quicker,

THE POSITION IN CANTERBURY.

\ BOTH SIDES DETERMINED. (Feb United Pjty.sa Association.) C'HRISTCHURCH, March 8. ."Both'sides in the (slaughtermen's - dispute still, stand firm. Tho men state they will 1 -not work, except at increased rates, and the ,<t;__wiipXoyoM insist that tlio matter must bo • referred to tho court. The men, however, will not conseut lo this. Tho manager of the Christchureh Moat Company states that be may bo ablo to do without the men. New •bands are coming in steadily, and, over 40 are now killing at the company's works at Islington ajid Smithfield. Tho men stale that they do not intend to pay tho fines inflicted by tho court, and 1 as tliev have jio property they do not consider the enforcement of tho tleriaioii possible.

RECOVERY OF FINES.

THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S VIEWS. (Per United- Ijkesb1 j kesb Association.) , WjOLfJN'GTOX, March 8. ' ( Tlio Cabinet will meet to-morrow to consider tho position -regarding tho refusal of Iho Canterbury slaughtermen i<i pay tho tines' imposed on them by tilo Arbitration (Jourl. ■ On lining interviewed on iho subject lonight by it Times' reporter, tho Hon. Dr I'indlnv (Attorney-general) .said, in regard to t.h« qmstion us to whether tho machinery o[ tho (let is so defective as to permit its violation with impunity:—" Upon this test. I claim to speak with more certainty and authority tlmu with regard to the lest, because this is',entirely a. question of law. It narrows itself down to this: Can thoso who have si nick imd who liavo been finctl 1» imprisoned for lum-paymont of their fines? This question can bo answered without, iho slightest hesitation in the oflirurjtive. The law is perfectly clear, and it stands thus.: Section ]5 of Ihe act of 1905, under which the men were fined, declares that Uicko who strike shall ho guilty of an olfenec. anil shall bo liable to a- fine by section 101. Where a line is imposed it is enforced by means of a certificate, given under the hand of the. clerk arid Iho mid of the. court, which when filed in any court having civil jurisdiction shall, thereupon, 1h) enforceable, in all respects as a final judgment- of such court. Therefore, a certificate in respcct of the fines which have b&m imposed may be tiled in the Supreme Court. , "What, penalty may thereupon ho enforced against the defendant? A line, it will bo. remembered, is not a. debt within tlio meaningi of tho Jinprisoiiiuoiii for Ilebt Abolition Act, for default, in payment of any penalty or of any sum in the nature of a penalty is oxpro*ly excepted from that net. The protection, then, of tho Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Act is mot given to tho defendants here. In England: under tho name circumstances (hoy could' cn nou-pavnicut bo arrested under what. .liuv.vom call tho ea. ki. in New Zealand, under the .Supreme Court Code of 1882. thi l procedure is in way of a motion for nttaoluuont, on tho filing and servico of which tho defendant has an opportunely of showing that he has paid Iho fine, and it lie has uot doiiß so ho may bo sent, to prison for a period not, exceeding one year. The limitation of one year ie contained iii the Inst paragraph 'of (ho third section of the imprisonment for Debt. Abolition Ad: theiiJoro tlio powers of the law in punishing a nuui convicted of talcing part /in a strike and failing to pay the line impowd upon him aro exceedingly wide, and I know of no rulo which would prevent tlio 'Supremo Court from committing a i\ian whom fine is not paid to prison for such term le-B than a year as the court may think lit. I am informed that, the fines already imposed amount to over £700, and it is quite clear that if each man who joins in tho strike may lie lined £10, as is allowed by tho act, and in default of payment may bo sent to gaol for r. substantial term, Iho net furjtishes a deterrent which most: responsible and sensible men would not (real lightly. Can it then- be said that in this second tost of tho enforceability of iln awards tlio «i:t has broken down? Surolv. if my view of the law is right, this question can only be answered one way. J am not the Minister of Labour, and in this connection my duty mainly lies in advising the Government. The Minister of Labour and the Acting I'rime Minister have both iSpoken, 'ind their determination to enforce tho law has already lieen unequivocally declared."

SOUTHLAND.

' MEN* BKINO ENfIAfiED, (Per United Press Association'.) INVERCARGILL. March 8. Tile position as l-egarils t.he striko liasi Ijoon somewhat reversed locally. Wecenily -there were sheep <uid 110 men, Imt now there arc moil and no sheep. At afataura a full I ward of 14 butchers is available, and it is expected that a start will be lrado on Saturday. The men would have started to-.tlftj. il sheep, bad bpeu available, • ■

Ah Wallaeotown butchers are being engaged. Tlio position at Ocean Beach is unchanged. .Seven of (lie Mataura men am ex-strikers.

Tho will hold a Meeting to-ni6rrow for the purpose, it is said, of considering another oiler by the companies. .''J'iio companies say noibinp about a new offer, and stale that I hey abide by tlic original proposals.