The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1895.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 213, 6 September 1895, Page 2

The Evening Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, and Echo.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1895.

For tha cause- that lacks n.B3istancs, For the wrong that needs resistance, For tha future in the distance. And the good that yio can do.

It is admitted on all hands that New Zealand forms an excellent sphere for a display of the energiesofthe Anglo-Saxon race. The genial climate, geographical position, and vast natural resources of these islands prove their fitness to be the home of an industrious and prosperous people. It is in our favour too that the pioneer population was untainted with the convict element. The hardships . early colonial life were not attractive to loafers and ne'er-do-wells, and we may say without boasting that our first settlers represented the best specimens of tbe respective social classes to which they belonged in the mother country. Under such favourable auspices, a certain measure of prosperity was assured, but probably not one of the original settlers ever anticipated the proud position tbis country would occupy in little more than fifty years after the proclamation of the Queen's sovereignty.

But while the heart of every colonist swells with pride at the evidences of national prosperity that meet the eye on every hand, no thoughtfiil person can fail to realise that we have reached a stage in our country's history fraught with momentous interests to the mass of the people. We view with satisfaction the expansion of our commerce, and the establishment of industries in our midst. These indicate an increase in the national wealth. The establishment of various manufactures is tangible evidence that we are gradually supplying our own wants, and becoming less dependent upon outside sources for the necessaries and luxuries of life. But the change from the simple conditions under which people lived in the early days of the colonies is not without its drawbacks. Experience proves already that in our partial transition from an agricultural to a manufacturing community, we have not altogether escaped those.evils that beset the toilers in the great commercial cities in the mother country. The vigilance of trades unions and the legislative restrictions under which factories are worked in this colony have done much to prevent wages from falling to a starvation standard, but in many lines of employment the low rate of pay resulting, from the fierce competition of labour is altogether inadequate to maintain the workers in any fair degree of comfort.

Amongst the evils that of late years have beset some branches of colonial industry, the practice of "sweating" is one of the most deplorable. New Zealand has not suffered so much from this nefarious system as some of her neighbours, but cases have cropped up from time to time which show that there is a disposition in some quarters to grind down workers if public opinion will tolerate it. Perhaps of all the colonies Victoria has suffered most from sweating. The evil there is ramp:mt, and it is so easy for batches of workers to be transferred from that colony to our shores that we cannot regard the state of things there with indifference, even from motives of self-interest. For some time past an anti-sweating crusade has been going on in Melbourne, and the results as disclosed in ourcable messages are sufficiently startling. It must be a desperate' state of affairs when skilled tailoresses work 6o heurs a week for 12s, and in some places from 9in the morning to 11 at night for 5s a week. What woman can escape " poverty, hunger and dirt," who makes shirts from od to is per dozen, ot what baker's assistant can maintain a family in ordinary decency who works 11 hours a day for the sum of £1 per week? If it be true that a woman makes railway coats under contract for 4d each, the existence of such a state of things is highly discreditable to the Victorian Government.

The women of New Zealand, in common with their Australian sisters, should give close attention to the sweating evil. It will be noticed that it is almost invariably id those branches of industry in which female labour is largely employed that sweating is extensively carried on. To some extent, women are to blame for this state of affairs. Many of them are so situated that they can afford to sell their labour at alow price without suffering personal inconvenience, Ifagirl hasa good home provided by her parents, she merely wants to earn a little pocket money. If she can get enough to keep herself in clothes, she is quite content to give her services in return. For example, there are girls in our large cities who work as shop assistants for sums quite inadequate to maintain them. This is all very well fot a young woman who has a home provided for her, but the effect is disastrous upon those who have to earn their own livings. If employers can get a number of young girls to work at a low rate the tendency is to make that the general standard, and the few shillings a week that suffices for the girl with a home, simDly mean starvation wages for the less fortunate assistant who has to provide her own board and lodging, or perhaps contribute to the support of her parents. Then there are other women who for the sake of pocket money will do needlework at such rates that it is hopeless for the sempstress who has her own living to make to enter into competition

The Bishop of Melbourne, who has been taking an active part in the crusade, says, " the rage for bargains and cheap goods " is largely responsible for the evil, and that some good would be effected-"if professors of Christianity frequented only shops where moderate prices were demanded for the goods sold." This smacks of the pulpit, but we fear the good bishop is expecting too much of human nature. In practical life "professing Christians" cannot be expected to discriminate after this manner. As we said before, the question is of special interest to women, and it is one which we think might profitably occupy the attention of the various women's leagues in this colony.