MR NEIL AND WAGES.

Evening Star, Issue 7246, 24 June 1887, Page 4

MR NEIL AND WAGES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —In a report of a discussion on wages which took place at Caversham a few days ago, Mr Neil said: "AVhile girls in America got ISi per week, as against 10s in England—indeed some were paid no more than 33 to 4a. n Why docs Mr Neil confine himself to Fngland 1 If I am correct in my information, Mr Neil is a native of Paisley (Scotland), in which are situate the largest thread-mills in the world, owned by the famous firms of Messrs J. and P. Coats, Clark and Co,, Kerr and Co., and others. Will Mr Neil give the rate of wages earned there by women ? If lam not mistaken he has friends or relations who have been or were employed for many years by the firstnamed firm. I am certain that many of the women employed in thread manufacture earn as high a wage weekly as the sum he quotes as the weekly wage earned by "girls in America," and one has only to stand near the entrance gates of any of these works at a meal hour to see as braw, well-dressed, comply lasses as he will find anywhere on the face of the earth. I am pretty near the mark when I say there are above 7,000 girls employed in these various works, and it in well known that liberal arrangements are made lor the comtoit and welibeing of the girl* by sick' and funeral societies, medical attendance, wages paid when off work in cases of sickness, dining hall, kitchen for cooking meals, superannuation allowances to aged servants, threo weeks' or longer residence at seaside homos in omv.ilescencc from sickness; whilst dnri'v* t'ic whole summer twelve malo and twelve female employes (belonging to the first-named firm at least), and who have been in their employment for twenty years and upwards, are sent olf each week, get their board and lodgings paid for two weeks, and receive their wage 3 on their return, just as if they had been working. I am sorry that Mr Neil should have ignored these facts, tor they reflect credit not only on the generosity of the great thread firms, but oaght to have made Mr Neil proud that he was a native of a town which has given a tone to the politics of Europe, and which ha 3 always been famed for its advanced views and radical opinions, and in which Protectionists find small favor.—l am, etc., OlisjiitvKit, Duncdin, June i! 3.