"SWEATED GOODS"
REPLY TO MR. DONNE
In a statement to "The Post," Mr. W. D. Lambie (Deputy British Trade Commissioner) replies to Mr., A. E. Donne's remarks concerning the allega-, tions of sweating in the British clothing industry. He says:—
"lam glad to see from Mr. Donne's statement that the New Zealand Wholesale Clothing Manufacturers' Associa^ tion accepts the official figures which I quoted as regard* the time rates of wages prevailing in the .British readymade clothing industry, and which I think dispose conclusively of the allegations of 'sweating' in the industry in general. It is happily true that wages are much higher in New Zealand, and must necessarily be so, in order that New Zealand workers should enjoy an equal standard of living here. Mjr remarks referred to the question of 'sweating,' and not to production costs, which form an entirely different prob^ .lein regarding which there is much which could be said.
"Apparently the alleged 'sweating' to which reference was made consisted of individual manufacturers probably operating on a small scale and employing homo labour on piece work. In this connection I may say that pieceworkers are also covered by the operations of the Trade Boards, and when no special provision has been made for a higher level of remuneration, the basic rate is the general minimum time rate. The British Ministry of Labour, through its inspectors, makes every effort to enforce the awards, and if I am furnished with information regarding any cases where there appears to have been infringements, I shall be pleased to take the matter up with the authorities in London provided that the visiting New Zealand manufacturer mentioned by Mr. Donne has not already done so. So far as lam aware, by far the greater proportion of readymade clothing imported into New Zealand from Britain is factory produced, so that the extent of the competition from clothing produced under allegedly 'sweated' conditions must be almost negligible."
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19290306.2.21
Bibliographic details
Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 53, 6 March 1929, Page 6
Word Count
323"SWEATED GOODS" Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 53, 6 March 1929, Page 6
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