BELFAST MEAT WORKS

Wairarapa Daily Times, 22 February 1935, Page 5

BELFAST MEAT WORKS

CLOSED FOR WEEK.

MINISTER’S ACTION

CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. Two hundred and sixty men employed at the Belfast Freezing Works of Messrs Thomas Borthwick and Sons will be idlp to-morrow, as the result of the action of’ the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. C. E. Macmillan), in imposing a quota on the quantity of stock that can be killed for export at the works. The action was taken tyy the Minister on authority given by the Slaughtering and Inspection Amendment Act last session, and on the recommendation of the Meat Board. The Act empowers the Minister to determine the maximum quantity of any stock which may be slaughtered at any meat export works in a specified period. So far the Belfast works is the only one upon which a quantitative restriction has been imposed. A mass meeting of the employees held yesterday decided to telegraph the following protest to the Minister of Labour (the Hon. A. Hamilton):— “The seasonal workers omployed by Borthwick’s strongly object to the treatment meted out to us by the Government in sorting out and closing down one of the works for a week, thus depriving approximately 260 men of a livelihood.” The works will close down Irom today until Ist March. —(P.A.)