"SWEATING."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13714, 2 October 1908, Page 3

"SWEATING."

DRASTIC RECOMMENDATIONS.

Rates of payment for home work to be fixed by law, tentatively at first, and Wages Boards to be established. Work to be delivered and collected by the employer. Registration of home workers, extension of factory inspection provisions, and the full application of the Truck Act. These in brief are the principal recommendations of the Select Committee on Home Work {"Sweating"), of which Sir Thomas Whittaker was chairman, who issued their report recently. It is a valuable contribution towards the solution of one of the most complicated, as well as pathetic, problems which face th* industrial and social reformer. After an exhaustive inquiry, which included the •-•onsideration of the report, recently summarised in thwe columns, of Mr Ernest Aves, as to th> labour legislation of Australasia, the Committee offer the following summary of conclusions : (1) That there should be legislation with regard to the rates of payment maae lo home workers who are employed in the '3; Tint such legislation sb'uld. at first bt tentative and *xpei'ni«-u!al. and be

limited in its scope to workers engaged in the lailoiiug, shirtmaking. underclothing, Rnd babylinen trades, and in the finishing procethes of machine-made lace. Tlie Horn*.- Secretary should be empowered after inquiry made to establish wages boards for any other Hades. isl That- wages boards should be established in selected trades to fix uiiuiiuuin lime and piece rates of payment for home workers in those trail*, e.

(4) That it r.hould be an ofiencc to pay or offer loner rates of payment to home workers in those trades than the minimum mi«> which had been tiled lor tiiat diotrici by the wages board.

(5> That the delivery and collection of work done at liotue should be done by persons in the diuct employ and pay of the employer. Where thai n;« nol done, tlie amount nhich a woiker could earn in •t specititd time should be calculated on a bur-h which iucludtd the time spent in filching and ictuiniug the wwk as time occupied in doing tlie work. (6) That all home workers who-are employed by other peicoi;-3 in producing or preparing artick'9 for *ale should be re qoired lo register their name, addre&s, and class-of work at. and rec.ive a certificate it such regintrutiou from the offices of tlie local authoiity. and that the keeping of accurate outworkein' Jfc>tc> by employ- rs production or preparation il articles for sale by other persons.

|7) That it should be an offence for any petson to •employ any borne worker to produce or prepare any articles for sale by another person unless the worker produce h certificate of registration. (8) lhat the provisions of Section 9 of the Public Health Act 1875, with regard to factories and workshops which are not kept clean or are ill ventilated or overcrowded should be extended to rooms in which home work is done, and power should be given to sanitary and factory in«|>ectators to inspect them and secure the enforcement of the law.

i 9) That the full protection of the Truck Act bhould be secured to home wurktis.

WORLD-WIDE INQUIRY.

To what extent in the sweating of the worker carried on? The Committer? state frankly that if the tcnii "sweating" wa» understood to mean that the employer "'grinds the face of llie poor" in order to secuie huge profits, they are of opinion that, although there are such cases of this kind of sweating, \' r was not the must important factor in the problem before Ui-m. On the other hand, if the teim is umleiftood to refer t<> work that its paid for at a. rate which yields to the worker an income <{uit<: insuflicient to obtain anything like proper food and living conditions, there is no doubt that it pievails extensively—to such a degree as to call urgently for the intcrferenix->_»{-ParlianH'nt. The problem which is represented by the fact that a very large number of |n.ople are unable to. or at any rate, do not. earn more than a mere pittance, and consequently live' under conditions which are conducive to anything but social, material, and inoraJ well-b.ing. is admittedly a manysided and voir dilticult one. More or less similar conditions prevail, not only in all the great countries on the Continent of Europe, but also in the United States of Am uea. and < vcu in Australasia, where tliv piopoi.ion of women to men is so tliffeienl fiom that which obtains in England it-to lender tome of the fundamental condition'' uhleh utfect wuuien's work and wagets scarcely comparable with those with which we have to deal. i he, evidence which I.IHII <. I'liiiinltej have taken, and the. tip-jiemli'.-rs uhleh accompany it, iudicau» ttiat ail tile countriec to which reference has Ikcii made have, cither already attempted to ileal iiith the question in some way or olh.r, by legislation, or aie considering the Inst ii.iv in which ihev eun do so. M.v.W WUKKhilft. LOW KARXTXU*.

11l di*cu?Miig I lie various clatases of home woikcis ami why their wages are so tlnalJ, the I oiiiinlil e Mate llial tUey were maiuly coliccrned with thiec who undettake uoiK for other* and do it in their own homes, llu-e in llie mum ..ie outside the Factory and Workshops .\ci. and may be divid-ei into litre? svellons: Single women, widows, wive- d s.ited by „i Mparul.d tioin (Ihir husbandi, and wivio whose husbands art ill or nnaljito work. 1 llese ale llMl.im ICglllrtl woik els. '1 hey vaiy much in age. .-kill ami eltiei'iuy. in Hie tUw ol Ui woi> ill y do. anil the amount thy aie aolo In e ill 11. V\i\cr «'ho üblain woik «lien I heir hii~ band* .ne out of employment: iluy ;•!•• more oi Ic.-t> c.mu.il woikeis; noine ol them have not hjii any i,.il tiaiiiing, ami .n----unskilled. I hey hue to take Mich Hoik :<'■ i. available at :iie moment, on mk a t-rtuir, .r., aie i.Uelcd to tiicui-

WiVi* and da tight., l. oj nm, ,„ ~g„|,,| employment, who »i,li n, mcieas. ' lb--famiit iiu one. lh-y i>u,ury , leel pleas ant woik. ami do no; oidliia'nly woik leu long hours. -i- to th.- . .uniug... line, hilly win.e.-.i from t ii- Home Ollii t - gave cvt.ieiin- mini, exhiliit.-d a vaiiety oi expen-ih-t,. Sin* \lll.s guv.- p..|t|,. nlai~ ol ~,111. clllemelv ra.i:, " nlmli ~.,. „1,vi,.u..v •liiite eieeptioii.il."' Mj., S.juiic w... of op,mon tli..i tli- numb iol p...[i!.- ,u , tiially earned .. livelihood In ihi- „, ~,,. was vi ty niuall indeed, am'i that ni.ini of them «eie de|*ndcii! on pool i.-lj.'j or i.ttur help. ()|, i 1,.. „,)„, j,, t „: Mi>- Collett. of the »0.,: do| ),.,.| . though', that the .ix,ti,- f »in x . ~;.„.--. „ cr , j„ a Humility, but iiui in» f uere lu ,| .-!,.■ ud b\ th m.ijoiitv 1.1 the iiiin vs.-. A Hr.I.IM.ISS U.AS> The Committee guv .iboiit ,i do/., n !•.■ m liy tin ...tiling.- generally aie >,, ,„.., gn. Much o! its ....■wing, which iti'iiircs no pi.vioii- iiaiiiing. .urn .is it en i„ ,t,.,, :" bom .it pie.c ialr.. the Mipplv ..( ~.., k iir. >. J.nge .Hid e1.,.[„. "Imn :i,,,, ~, llie i-ouip-'litinu with mo iiiir iv. tin- int. t .'elenie oi the middleman, and 111- [!•!... maliy .uiiohl; th.- emplovei.. in mo-; ..! til." -W..lt.d t1.1.1-.- Mo'-t „t |he holllwoik.:.. an- women, and t-prr.ein a help i'-> iiiii.ii;.,!,!.,.,! .•!.,,,.. uhleh i> Jiowui.-i----to !•«•!.: a Tiilu. ! ion in rates h •. olr.iou.iy the n-n of the ,om milter, altir f'kui,; .■!! th . > id. i„ , in:.. eliMd. tatlon. ;||.,; t|,,. ..,.,- ~| ;t,. ~j. pt.i-f- if lioiii.- iioiL.-i i,.i. 1,,, i, ;n|l, iM ,d----"•il. \!:-i il. ,!m- ..; l-n-th will, tinlaw .Ml the .pi--tic.li ..- it ens'., and 'lie lanoii. i.m.di-. 'Oji;. -: ■! •,,. thrm. 'Il •■ amied at tiie . on'. Jit ioi-. e :v . n . ( |„, v ." Tle-Ie I- al»o ~!„■ exptr..ion o! ..p!n;,.ii >],.,! will mt t,..t the 'lard! iMortn. t "I!.. i ?!>:■. ui !•!• Mil— to |he -:ii;--.;i,.n 'J,.,': their f- no :...,ni t..i in.t-.-.d payment . ■ n 'i-n "t ior-ie.li ;:: >\:\ :n >..me m.iir-. :ti-- tii.r ' ...iiip-i4-.io|i mit-t l.<- in-• i.i :ii-.ic.-..- 1 • fliii-ni-y. ui>: !'i ;•"•• it >-.

I With regard to Mr Toiiliiiin's Sweated Industries Bill, which wars a!si> referred to litem, the Committee, in view of th-.r report, did not consider itr, clause-, and ie|x>it it without amendment to the Hove-'-. They think, however, that the ~ubjcct <•! reference to them, and their report th-.i-on, should b- ; dealt with at an early dale.