THE FACTORIES BILL.

Evening Star, Issue 8611, 3 September 1891, Page 2

THE FACTORIES BILL.

Miss H. R. Morrison, secretary to the Tailoresses 1 Union, has sent the following letter to the Hon. P. A. Buckley with reference to the Factories Bill now before the Legislative Council Dunedin, September 2, To the Hon. P. A. Buckley, Legislative Council, Wellington.

Dear Sir,—l am directed to bring before you, for your consideration, in re the Factories Bill now before tbe Council, th* evil we consider it Is obvious will follow if the number which shall constitute a work room be allowed to remain at six, which wou’d go f a to nullify the good the Bill is otherwise likely t) do. 1. That it will lead to tbe multiplication of what are practically small workshops all over the colony. 2. These workrooms will be under no sanitary control, (See report of Chief Inspeotor of Factories. ISBO, in connection with the clothing trade of Victoria, clauses 12 aud 44.) 3. That those who do this work need not necessarily be members tf theUnior, and therefore not bound to work under its leg. 4. To get work they will tender at a lower rate than th*i ordinary union log. 5. This will lead to irritation and friction between the Union and those factories that give work to these private workers. 6. Such families can work thus together, and get employment on most advantsgeous terms. Parents will not send their girls to factories, and thus will grow tip a host of unskilled 7. This exemption must eventually open the door to all tbe evils of sweating, since it withdraws these houses from sanitary inspection, and frees the workers from all control as to Union rates of pay, which at present are barely what a working girl can live on, and which caa only be sustained through the existence of tbe Union In view of the above, we moat earnestly urge you to reduce the number which shall constitute a work room to one, as passed by tbe Lower Chamber; and we would point out that the Committee of the Union deal with exceptional cases, and allow work to be done at home wherever it is found on invest’gation that such application is of a bona fide nature, and is not likely to lead to any abuse of the piivilege. —I have, etc,, H. B. Morrison, See. N. Z. Federated Talloressea’ Council.