CANCELLATIONS APPROVED.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11567, 16 January 1913, Page 5

CANCELLATIONS APPROVED.

AWARDS EXPIRE TO-DAY

The cancellation of all the slaughtermen \s unions who made application to the Labour Department to be allowed to withdraw from the scope of the Arbitration Act will be gazetted to-day, says the Dominion. The Canterbury Union was the only one about whien there was any doubt, and yesterday Mr P. W. Rowley, Chief Clerk in the La bour Department, said that he had that received by letter sufficient evidence to day received by letter sufficient evidence to show that a substantial majority of the men employed in Canterbury were in favour of cancellation. The awards under which the Cautcrbury and Wellington men are working expire to-day, but it is not anticipated that the Canterbury butchers will cease work at once, and*the Wellington men have agreed to go on until Monday. In Oteieo and Southland the works have ndfcfopened up this season yet, ami probJPy they will not until the trouble is settled. In all the other districts, including the provincial towns of Wellington province, the award expires on January 31st, and the secretary of the union (Mr M. J. Reardon) informed 3, Dominion reporter yesterday that in 'these districts the unions proposed to observe their agreement, and to go on working until the award expires. Petone Feeling. Additional complications threaten to arise in Petone unless the meat works , dispute is quickly settled. A reporter who talked yesterday with some employees of the Gear Meat Co., gathered that they were very indignant at the attitude taken up by shopkeepers, who have decided to refuse credit, and to insist upon cash transactions. Already a proposal has been mooted to hold a meeting, with a view to instituting a boycott of traders who deckle to refuse credit. The workers who were spoken to —none of them were slaughtermen — -take the view that men who have habitually paid their way should not be refused* credit in a time of trouble. The position of the shopkeepers is one of great difficulty. Some of them .are,-stilt feeling the effects of the last works' strike, and have not yet their books of debts incurred atrthat time. Probably they will hold ■a meeting, in order to discuss the position from all points. Possible developments from the awkward situation that now exists are, on the one hand, a ring of traders mutually agreeing to refuse all credit, and, on the other hand, an agreement by the workers concerned to go outside the borough for their supplies, rather than submit to the conditions imposed by their local storekeepers . It is currently reported in Petone that the meat-works;' employees, other than slaughtermen, have resolved to resist any "attempt to man the killing boards with fanners and their sons or other volunteer labour. It is stated that if any outside butchers are employed, the men working in other departments will down tools forthwith, and proclaim a sympathy strike with the slaughtermen.