THE INDUSTRIAL POSITION OF WOMEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXXI, Issue 10235, 2 January 1894, Page 2

THE INDUSTRIAL POSITION OF WOMEN.

(Lady Lillee, in the Fortnightly Review.)

The economic independence of women cannot .become a stable factor in a renewed society, as loagjs the same importance is not attached to their training—either by themselves or by their families, as in the case of men —because both they and their friends look always to throwing up their industry ou marriage." They drop natural! v into the lowest category of labour, and when they marry sre too often thrown back ou the market, forming a fluctuating mass which seeks occasional or partial employment. Tho bad results of these conditions are plainly shown ia such trades as those cf the bookbinders in London, who say they reckon from two to three thousand skilled women workers—as near sa -may be conjectured but are embarrassed by “as many as five thousand of the

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM OF THE TRADE who are in it half the year, and who do nothing or follow some other calling throughout tho other half.” It is easy to seo tha obvious difficulties in the way of protecting or organising labour of this class, which is also, exposed by its peculiar weakness to special dangers and hardships. Iu the matter of “flues,” as well as in the matter of wages, women are everywhere the chief sufferers. All over the country they are enduring daily abominable injustice from this cause. Even in Yorkshire euinniug-millß, within tha cognisance of the active executive of a large trades union, acta of disgraceful tyranny are not uncommon, Tho other day a girl—a child, I should say—was observed by her young master to have ono of her ends down (which as she had about two hundred to mind was no unlikely mishap). Ho at once took aim at Tier with a bobbin, which having struck her on tho head, bounded vS and went through a window. For this amusement oc the maa, whose bread she earned, the girl at the week’s end was fined 2s 6d “ for breaking' windows.” lute tbc PECULIAR INFAMIES OF “FAVOURITISM,” I will net, I cannot go. They are common to the lot of women’s labour all over the world. They are extremely difficult to handle, and they are by no means general. It has been proposed to meet them by the substitution of women for men as overgears of women, but I do not feel certain that the women would really benefit by this change; and I am euro that these infamies will disappear as women become less dependant. THE UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF CHEAP children's fingers. Tho abuses against which it is really well to cry out are those which can be remedied cither by organisation, by the prejsuze of public opinion, or by State interference. Ouo cannot visit any great industrial town without seeing at once that its greatness is built up out of tha labour of our women and their little ones; one cannot investigate the conditions of their labour and not see in it a danger to the State. It has been said that “ the secret of Belfast’o prosperity is iu the command of a practically unlimited supply of cheap children’s lingers.” In like wise, we may ray that tha secret of England's industrial grsfttu&ss is in her command of a practically unlimited supply of the cheaplabour of her women and her. girls. Their lives a?o inintad out for money. Like the vision of tbe king who naw a golden and diver statue, the feet of which wore cf iron and clay, so dcei this magnificent industrial prosperity of commercial England, concerning which we make our boost, dazzle the world with tho radiance of its fabulous wealth ; but, if we look below and seek to see that on which the costly fabric rests—behold! its foundations are laid in TUB SORDID MISERY OF CREEPING MILLIONS, in tho darkness of unending toil, in the hopelcscness of unavailing sorrow. slaves of labour tho night brings no joys of rest, and ia tbe morning the burden of teieir trouble is laid upon their ruing. If we shut ourrelvea off from tho knowledge of this that lieu at our very doora, and will not uuderstaotl the teaching of them things, then msy wo fear lest their meaning be made plain to us in a lesson of Wivth and min. As the stone that was cut wkh no hur.d smote the excellent image on the fei-t, so that the silver and gold were broken to pieces aud became as chaff on tho summer threshing floor, even so may we fear lest our neglected one?, who fi ! l tho ranks of the army of labour, may one day shape their giant forces under tho wings of an avenging angel, \ whose mil sion will not be to bring peace and prosperity to our land, but a sword.