WOMAN INSPECTOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21885, 22 August 1934, Page 4

WOMAN INSPECTOR

SHOPS AND FACTORIES CONDITIONS OF INDUSTRY "It is an interesting life and I think I prefer it to any other work that I can think of," said Miss Emerson, chief woman inspector of shops and factories in Auckland, who, after three months on leave starting from the end of September, will formally retire from the servico.

Miss Emerson has been 17 years in Auckland and during that time has seen many developments take place in the field of women's work. As Government representative on the Auckland Unemployed Women's Relief Committee sho has seen how severely women suffered during tho slump and is 1111foignodly glad to see tho improvement in the condition of affairs. "In tho clothing trade particularly this improvement is most marked," she said in the course of an interview. Miss Emerson's work takes her all over the Auckland industrial district, visiting shops and factories, and her work is similar to that carried out by the women inspectors in the other three centres. It is her business to see what tho conditions are in which women are working, such, for instance, as those regarding hygiene, sanitation, hours of work, rato of payment, etc. "In many respects," she said, "these have improved greatly compared with what they were years ago, more particularly perhaps in connection with the size of workrooms, welfare work and hygiene. "Like other inspectors," she added, "1 have been intensely interested in seeing a genuine desire on the part of many employers to make conditions for their employees as pleasant and comfortable as possible, and it probably would surprise many pcoplo to know to what extent welfare work is voluntarily carried out by the proprietors of some of the large firms in Auckland. It is generally recognised that far better work is done by employees whose interests are considered than by those who are regarded as so many working machines.

"Ono has only to look at the girls whoso welfare is provided for to see the effect it must have on their work. They are bright, alert-looking and smart in their appearance." Miss Emerson has a particularly keen appreciation of such organisations as tho Girls' Inter-house Association and tho Business Girls' Association and the interests they provide for their members. One of the interesting people whom Miss Emerson met in the course of her work was Dame Adelaide Anderson, formerly principal lady inspector of factories and workrooms for the Home Office (England), who visited New Zealand a few years ago. For 24 years Dame Anderson held that position and during those years she took a leading part in the battle for improved conditions and pay for women workers in England. Asked what were the most desirable qualifications for such work as she was doing, Miss Emerson said a knowledge of hygiene was essential, also a certain knowledge of the laws governing the industries in which women were engaged. Turning to more personal qualifications she added to the foregoing a capacity for seeing matters from the point of view of both the employees and tho employers,., and then striking a. working balance between them. "Above all," she added, "is there need for tact in its superlative degree."