FEMALE WORKERS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 73, Issue 346, 18 August 1930, Page 6

FEMALE WORKERS

MOTOR BUILDING TRADE. MR JUSTICE FRASERS’S OPINION. WELLINGTON, Aug. 15. Some important observations upon the employment of female labour and its economic aspects were made in the Arbitration Court by His Honour Mr Justice Frazer to-day, following a ruling upon a proposal by the employers to make provision for female machinists in the motor-body building trade. An objection by the Union to the reposal was allowed, being based on a technicality and it was this that led ILs Honour to enlarge upon the point. “I think I ought to say something in reference to the general merits of the proposals to employ female labour on the work which is peculiarly suited for females,’’ remarked His Honour. “Tho work in question is upholstery work, in respect of which females have been employed for years in furniture factories. We know that the laotorbody building trade in New Zealand is not in a good position at the present time. Whenever the question of tariff comes up one secs in the newspapers references to the requests made by the body-building trade for increased protection. We know that our foreign competitors are adopting the most up-to-date and economic methods of manufacture, and if we do not follow their example wc are only making our own difficulties greater and are heading for tho bankruptcy court. If we can cheapen our cost of production, and so reduce the prices of the finished article to our own consumers, wc shall build up a bigger trade and give more employment for an increased number of male workers. To perform tho operations which must always bo sot apart for these workers I cannot see anything to warrant any restrictions on employment of females in the machine work on upholstery, and I hope that although the Court has had to throw out lhe question on a technicality the parties in the case will get together and reconsider the matter in tho best interests of the industry as a whole.”