The Sweating System.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 194, 18 August 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Sweating System.

At the resumed inquiry by the Lord's Committee (says the London 'Weekly Dispatch '), which took place on June 18th, Mtf Lionel L.! Alexander; Hpri; (■Secretary to the Jewish B"oard of Guardians, said ho was intimately "acquainted with the work carried on amongst tho sweaters and their employes at the East End. His experience was confined to work amongst the Jews. The work of the sweaters ;was ; ithat' carried! on .in making clothing, boots .and shoes, mid cabinet-making. There was' a ~ great tendency to subdivide work under the sweating system, so that none could finish what they worked upon from beginning to end. 'This subdivision a'lsd led to'the exercise ,of less intelligence on the part of f the workmen. The wages of workmen engaged. by sweaters averaged from 2s 6d a day t6 4s and 10s. i" The girls" earned from;7s to ids a, weok. The houra of labour averaged f.rom twelve.to fourteen a day. On-the whole year round a man worked about two and three-quarter.: days ;a week;. ; The sweaters supplied their men- with tea and coffee" ',; for breakfast and suppor. j Tho middlemen led to the practice of Bweriting Foreign labour has led to the creatioirof an industry which would ofchonyiso have" been lost to the country ; that was cheap cloth-, ing and chpap cabinet work. But for,the foreign workers, British workmen would never have got such cheap clothing as they had now. Foreigners were more sober than English workers, and got quite as much -comfoifb out of-their, wngos as tho English workmen.' The1 foreign workman; iraa also Very thrifty. 'He did riot think tliero was a i 1 lessening of morals amongst tho.-Jewish" rgirlß*,~butrin consequence of the amount lo£ work in which women could jtako i a I part" he" thought, a great" advantage was I obtained;: in .the homes o£ the' workers. 1 There was not a morsel of evidence that I the social evil was on the increase —on tho I contrary, ifc was confined within the I narrowest limits. : The -Jewish Board ofI Guardiansdidnotoncourage poor Russians to ; I 1 serve ah apprenticeship in Kngland so as to ».l lcavn a trade, and lake it away from Engf ; 1 Ush Avprkmen. S\Vliere' they paid the fee ■X \ for: an apprentice to leavn a trade,'he was 'M^R^, all branches o£ tho trade. ■ ,Tha P 1 Board had. done their bost to check the a-.i-immigration: oi foreigners, and had sent ■- uwuj largo nuinborß. Tho Boaid wore ntt nost caretui lio t to do anything which V, Uhour.' "^ "^ .u^idUta in-'l-'1."-•;-. ■."•.- . . ' ' " ; ■- '___ ■ -..' •'"■,'■! ace I :.: Jensen's Cod Livor Oi'i ia made on one I poard a largo Bteamor, fitted ma. a-itat tleifo sjreet -ana, pliant I t*ato%sjjt "?§SSgSs; t Ko I U k01U A specific for Asthma, BroncWUs, and tne I Conaumptqn, rooomtneiKjod by . tho t chief le.orl EDglish and Qermnn vliysldansas "Nourisht^lfe;ffiull^ n6le^ate:^P