"SWEATING" AT TIMARU.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6706, 20 November 1889, Page 2

"SWEATING" AT TIMARU.

[Special to the " Stab.] TIJTARU, Nov. 20. At a meeting of master and journeyman tailors last night, Mr W. Brown, a master, in the chair, the speakers complained that work got into the hands of boys and girls, through drapers who advertised that they had experienced men, though they had not, and much of their work was sent to factories and sold as tailor-made. Men were slaving at miserable prices. If drapers carried on the trade they should employ a staff of men: Sweating was defined as the employment of women; and one master admitted that he came under this definition, but denied that he was giving " sweating " pay. So long as he belonged to the Union and paid log prices, he did not see how any fault could be found with him, though he employed girls. His lowest contract price for suitß was 30g. Another denied taking as low as 275. Ho got 34a to 36s for good work. It was resolved that the journeymen should form a Union, and a dozen names were given in. In reply to a suggestion that women and girls should be asked to join, as they were working much lower than men, making voßts for 2s 6d, coats for ss, and doing men's work entitled to log prices, it was said they had nothing to do with females who must act for themselves. The masters saw no use in their combining and tying themselves to fixed prices. j Complaints are also being made of the ' long hours in the flour mills, sixty hours a week; and seventy-two, counting night shifts.