ENGLISH FEMALE SLAVES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 2995, 31 January 1881, Page 4

ENGLISH FEMALE SLAVES.

The London shop girl in the drapery and fancy trades is a fair specimen of that large body which has to support itself in a '■genteel occupation." Here wo have gigantic establishments presided over by wealthy and intelligent Englishmen, many of them constant church-goers, subscribing Christians, and leading lights of chapeldom. The targe employers of "femslo assistant" labour are gentlemen who, many of them, are philanthropists and humanitarians themselves. To many of them the sensational phamphlet on the traffic in English girls has doubtless been sent. One can imagine them raising their eyes in horror, and thinking in their hearts how thankfnl the English girls ought to be who remain in the path of virtue and serve at the retail drapery counter. Yet there are those behind the scenes who declare that the treament of these young English shop girls callsloudlyf or pbamphlets, leading articles and agitation. They tell us that cruel taskmasters compel these poor creatures to be on their feet often twelve and fourteen hours a day, and fine them heavily if, exhausted, they sink into a seat. There ia no escape for young English girls when once they enter these establishments. There are vigilant overseei'3 to watch every little mistake, and to whip them up when jaded and worn, they slacken their pace up the heavy hill. The "rules of the shop" in all large houses are printed and rigidly enforced. There lies before us as we write one of these lists of rules. They are ninety in all. It is almost impossible, not being a machine, to obey them. Disobedience is punished with a heavy fine deducted from the scant salary. There are over a hundred varieties of fines on this precious list, many of them being for the most trivial oversights- So it happens that, after working hard from half-past seven in the morning to eight, nine, and ten o'clock at night, a young lady assistant finds her modest salary reduced by one half in the shape of fines, which the employer pockets. Here are specimens of the fines : —" For not packing a parcel properly, 6d. For not addressing a parcel correctly, Is. Eor taking more time than allowed for meals 6d (time is—dinner, 30 minutes ; tea, 15). Eor leaving a box or case open, 6d. Ifor standing on a chair, 6d. For leaving order book about, 6d." There are ever 100 mora, and this is the last one r —"Eor making , any mistake not before mentioned, 6d." The system is perfect. Flesh and blood are forgotten, and the young women are treated as mere , machines. When one of them, overworked, ill, and fined' out of her scanty wages, flings herself into the river, or yields to the thousand-and-one temptations which surround the shop girls of London, who can wonder ? He keeps a lady standing is accounted a bear, yet scores of gentlemen shop sitting, and are served by girls who have stood the long day through. The whole system is iniquitous from begining to end. It is slavery, with this difference from the negro model; both oppressor and oppressed are the same color.

—Referee,