ELBOWED OUT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 227, 25 September 1935, Page 16

ELBOWED OUT.

BOYS IN FACTORIES. MAKING PLACE FOR GIRLS. QUESTION OP WAGES.

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day. The large increase in the number of girls under tho ago of 10 years employed in factories in the past year was referred to by Mr. J. O'Brien (Labour, Westland), in his speech in the Budget debate as indicating an increasing tendency on the part of factory owners to employ cheap labour.

1 lie Labour Department's report for 1034-35, said Mr. 0 Brien, showed that 2011 girls under 10 years of age were employed in factories. That was a record for New Zealand. The number of boys employed in factories, however, was only 7&1, and comparod with 1&30-31 showed an increase of only 130, while tho number of girls employed in factories increased in that period by 952, or nearly seven times as much.

"Instead of boys going into factories to learn trades," said the member for Westland, "they are being gradually elbowed out by the employment of girls who are very much cheaper to employ. Children under 10 account for 1088 of the increase of 7024 in the number of factory employees last year and it would appear that the manhood of the country is being shoved out by cheap boy or girl labour."

As soon as the wages of the boys or girls have to be increased according to the Factories Act or some award, said Mr. O'Brien, they were turned out and thev were not even allowed unemployment relief.