ARE GIRLS SWEATED?

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14473, 13 September 1910, Page 7

ARE GIRLS SWEATED?

THE PIECEWORK SYSTEM.

WAGES OF "WHITE" WORKERS

Thk statement made, at a meeting of the Women's Political League, in Auckland. as to the alleged existence of a system of "sweating" in the clothing factories in Auckland, formed the subject of pome inquiries by a representative of this paper. The secretary of the Women's Political League (Mrs. Gibson), on being seen on the subject, said that the allegation was based on a. statement made 0.-cr a year ago by the Hon. J. T. Pan', M.L.C., in regard to the piecework system, under which the "white" workers— i.\ those engaged in shirt, blouse .rid underclothing factories —arc now employed. Mr. Paul then asseiled that the average earnings of first-class "white" workers iiikPt the piecework system were from 18s to 19s a. week, as against a minimum of 25s earned by girls working under a weekly wage fixed by the Arbitration Court. Mrs. Gibson stated that she believed the remarks of Mr. Paul were applicable, at the present time.

The secretary of Auckland Tailoresses' Union (Miss E. Willis), who was next seen in connection with the matter, said that the statement made at the meeting of the Women's Political League, was quite correct. The "white" workers, she said, were not earning fair wages in the Auckland factories, and they desired that tho piecework system should be. abolished. She had had cases brought under her notice in which girls were making silk blouses for 5s 6d a dozen. A girl, she added, had to work hard in order to make a dozen of these blouses in two days. In another factory, she said, a buttonhole machinist was receiving only 7d per gross, and doing her own marking, whilst at. plain machining only 2s a day was earned. A girl from England had stated at a recent meeting that her earnings hero were but little bettor than in tho Old Country, whilst the cost of living was about double. Steps wore being taken, Miss Willis added, to organise die "white" workers, with a view of asking for an award under the weekly wage system from the Arbitration Court.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CASE

FACTS PROM THE WAGES BOOKS.

A statement of the employers' view of the case 'was gathered by visits to two factories in which "white" workers ace employed on piecework. Mr. Fowler, the manager of Messrs. Arch. Clark and Sons' Albert-street factory, said that the allegations as to .sweating were quite groundless. The girls employed on piecework, he raid, were miking very good wages, and, as a matter of fact, his flint "had lesa difficulty in getting girls for this class of work than for the clothing trade, under which the girls were working for weekly wages under the Arbitration Court award.

Mr. Fowler opened his wages book for the inspection of the reporter. " You can see," he said, that last week one gill on piecework made 27s 3d, another made 23s sd, another 23s lid, and another 28s 6d—in fact, competent workers can earn anything from 23s to 30s u week. Hero is the case of another girl who started last year at the wage of 5s a week used by the Factories Act. She is now on piecework and you see that last week she earned los lid, lor the previous week she- made 13s 7d, while . the week before that she got 15s dd." As to blouses it was stated by Mr. Fowler that the " making" ot those really amounted to no mote than the *" running up," the blouses being cutout and tieu into' bundles of a dozen each before being sent to the machinist. They had to afterwards pass through five or six more stage*. Some blouses were "made" for 4s cd a dozen, but the total cost of the labour in these blouses by the lime they left the factory was fully 12s a dozen. It would, he said, be a very incompetent girl who could not make a dozen in less than two days. As to but-ton-holes Mr. Fowler said that the price paid was cightpence a gross, and girls could comfortably earn up to 28s a week at this price. The respective earnings in the past four weeks of a girl working a button-holing machine were 23s lid, 28s 7d, 25s 4ci, and 27s 3d. A similar reply was made to the reporter's question by Mr. F. M. King, whose factory was also visited. " We have ' white' workers on both weekly wage and piecework," he said, "and a large number of them prefer the piecework. Talk about sweating! It could be done a great deal more easily under the weekly wage system if employers chose to drive the girls and to pay them off when they did not keep up to a certain standard. As to doing away with piecework the result would be that the girls would ' slow down. ' The effect would be to increase the cost of articles to the consumer as it is much easier for us to pay the difference to them than to drive the girls and make them do a fair day's work. Our factory is open at anytime to the inspection of the public, and by applying n't the office permission will be granted for interviewing and questioning our workers."

A forewoman in the same factory stated that girls were given the choice of weekly wage or piecework. " A few prefer the weekly wajje," he said, " but the majority prefer the piecework, as they can earn more at that than under the weekly wage. Some of the girls grumble, but you can never satisfy some people." One of the blouse machinists, who was also questioned, said that she received 5s a dozen. "If I work hard." she said, " I can make a dozen a day."