FREEZING WORKS TROUBLE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18541, 11 April 1930, Page 8

FREEZING WORKS TROUBLE.

SOUTH CANTERBURY AFFECTED.

NO KILLING AT PAREORA YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. Further trouble was experienced at the freezing works in South Canterbury yesterday, as a result of the action of the slaughtermen at the South Otago Freezing Company’s works at Finegand last week. On Monday morning last, the slaughtermen at the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company’s works at Pareora did not commence work at the usual hour, two men from Finegand having arrived in an endeavour to get the Pareora butchers to cease work in sympathy with the southern men. As the result of a ballot, normal killing was resumed at 11.15, and as there were no further developments on Tuesday and Wednesday, it was thought that work would proceed without interruption.

Yesterday morning normal killing proceeded up till shortly before 11 o’clock, when the slaughtermen ceased work, and held a meeting. They resumed about twenty minutes later, adopting a “go slow” policy, killing four sheep to the hour. The full board returned at 1 o’clock, after a further meeting lasting half an hour, when a request was made by the foreman butcher for normal killing to be resumed. About twenty of the Company’s permanent staff were agreeable to this, but the remainder, approximately thirty-three slaughtermen, were determined to continue the “go slow” rate. It may be mentioned that in order that the twenty men who were willing to kill at the full rate could do so, they had to be grouped together on the board, so that the sheep could be fed up to them. The position was, however, that the men were spread over the board, and the “go slow” men refused to leave their hooks, so that work could not been made at 2.30, so the boards were washed down for the day. A fair amount of stock was booked for yesterday, and that which came by road had to be sent back to the farms. At Smithfield. At the Smithfield Works killing was carried on at the normal rate until noon. At that hour the 57 butchers employed held a meeting, lasting almost till 2 o’clock, after which killing was resumed, but at the “go slow” rate. Sale Cancelled. Owing to a report that the Freezing Works employees in New Zealand were again going to adopt the “go slow” policy, and to the fact that there was already so much stock at the works and on transit, buyers were unable to operate at Ealing yesterday, and the stock sale there was cancelled. The fat lambs were sent home. “GO-SLOW” IN NORTH CANTERBURY. SERIOUS POSITION THREATENED. By T>leffrai'h—Pros* Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April 10. The “go-<slow” tactics adopted by freezing works slaughtermen in South Otago last week spread to Canterbury to-day, and affected the operations at some of the local works, but exact information on the extent of interference with normal running of the works is unobtainable. In some quarters, hope is entertained of a settlement to-morrow, and in others fear is expressed that the movement may spread to involve all the Canterbury works. 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 sheep and lambs to the works in large numbers. Killings were reduced to-day by “goslow,” and with stop-work meetings at Borthwick’s works at Belfast; at the North Canterbury Sheepfarmers’ works at Kaiapoi; and at the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company’s works at Belfast. Work was not affected at the Islington works of the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, nor at the Fairfield works at Ashburton.

It is reliably estimated that there are sufficient supplies at the various works, on the road, and bought, to keep all the works running at capacity for six weeks. There never has been a time when trouble at the works has had such serious possibilities.