The Sweating System.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6379, 26 October 1888, Page 2

The Sweating System.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib,— -As you invite information relative to the system, or anything leading to that, I am encouraged to made a few remarks, as I have some knowledge of some of the branches of the tailoring trade carried on in the factories. lam going to lay before, you. what I have long held to be a very; great evil, and if it is not sweating- it is the next door to it. But before I give particulars,. ;■£ tb.tst deny that the women are compelled to work (at least in one of our factories) for the small pittance stated to have tsijejl given elEewhere, though the rate:bf has been much reduced lately -iri v the price's cf garments to piece workers in the female department of the factory. I believe this is owing to a very bad practice of allowing work to be taken home to be done at night after factory hours. Though this might not be a legal breach of the Factory Act, still it is a bad system, and leads to bad results. Anyone with half an eye can see, from half-past five to six p.m., any number of women loaded with parcels going from work to commence again when they get home, and thus by night work they make pretfcy good wages, say from fifteen to thirty shillings, according to circumstances. In many cases, the Factory Act is violated by female employees commencing work before working hours. By this means, in very many cases, very good money- is earned by extra hours. And this, I believe, to be one of the principal causes why the rates of pay ate lowered by the firms. The firms look at the wage roll and wages paid, and when these seem excessive, make a reduction, not knowing or considering the number of hours taken to earn the money. I consider both the employer and the employee to blame-* the employee for working such long hours at home, and the employer for allowing the work to be taken from the factory. . It opens a very wide door for sweating. I have heard tell of many even working on a Sunday; not that they were compelled, but just to make as much money as possible. If this was not allowed, I believe nearly half as many more females might find work, if it were desirable. I say desirable, because I believe it is far more desirable for parents to send their children to service than to a factory. It would be of far more service in very many cases, in every way, making them more fit for domestic life. As I have said, sweeping reductions have taken place this last twelve months or so — threepence or more in a garment; and upon an average two or three garments are made in a day. When I say made, I mean all the work except machining— what some call fiTPfftwng- Taking, in th&estra midnight hours at home, threepence off every garment made makes a considerable reduction at the end of the week. Then there is another mode of reduction, in making three different classes of goods* No doubt there is a difference in tbfl quality of material, bat just the same amount of work, which, must pass iMr*ny*n%--tionr and be properly done. Now, Sir, I don't see why the price of labour should not be as good now, under a protective policy, or better, than it was yearssgo under a f reetrade policy. ; You will observe, I have only referred to the tailor-' ing department by women. I might have said something of how this affected -tailors, and several other things, relative to the great amount of cheap labour done by apprentices at a very small cost in those large, as well as small, clothing firms, but no doabfel have said enough. — I am, &c, A WORKING MAN. Christchuren,-Oct. 24. .

"Eobert TZlskeke." — Mr Lab&uohere -writes in Truth : — " A story of religious bigotry, which, sounds strange enoagh in these days, reaches me from Ipswich. It seems that, in that slightly somnolent town, they have a circulating library managed by a Committee, which Committee have come to the conclusion, that " Robert Elstnere ' is a dangerotia book for t an honest Ipswichi&n- to read, and they .■haTO accordingly expelled the work from their valuable collection. The individual credited with the leading part in this piece of silly intolerance is Canon Tnrnook, a leading local ecclesiastical luminary. Perhaps' this cleric is right in thinking that Mrs Ward is likely to more the Ipswich people more than their official teacher; bnt I think he may take it that the> Gospel will stand against a good deal more than 'Robert Elsmere/ I have already expressed my opinion on that work, which, I should think, will not do anyiMng worse, for the average novel xeader^han sen&him to Bleep."