H.—2,

10

The youngest of the girls come for nothing for a time, to learn the business; afterwards, at first, they get from 6s. to Bs. a week, according to what they can do. These young people are employed eight hours a day, except Saturday. The skilled workwomen get from 265. to 355. per week. The average rate among the females would be about 20s. a week. A tailor, at weekly wages, gets £3 10s. ;at piecework a tailor will earn £4 or £4 10s. The reason why the women get so much less than the men is because they cannot do the same work so well as the men, not being sufficiently skilled; but the tailoring is only a small part of our business. There aro only five men and two women in the tailoring branch. They work together in the same room. In the dressmaking department there are thirty hands ; millinery, twelve; and mantle-making, eight. We employ some outside, who take their work home. The men combine to obtain what they consider a fair rate of wages. The women do not combine for that purpose. lam not aware of their having any special arrangement with that object. 44. Supposing in your factory the employment of females was entirely free, would they be able to earn more wages ?—They are quite free now. 45. In your business they are ?—Tes; that is to say, we do not ask them to work more than a certain number of hours. 46. The Commission has been appointed, Mr. Haynes, for the purpose of inquiring how the Employment of Females Act works—whether it is efficacious or not for the purposes for which it was enacted. Have you any suggestions to offer? —As far as lam concerned, lam satisfied with the present Act; but if the clause which compels us to pay wages on holidays were omitted it would be an advantage. It is scarcely fair that we should have to pay for holidays. We never keep our hands after 6 o'clock. 47. Mr. Strode.] Do you object to any of the holidays—there are Christmas Day, New Tear's Day, Good Friday, and Easter Monday? —-We do not object to these; but we have too many other holidays, for which we pay all our hands. There are at least sixteen. And there is another hardship arising out of the restrictions with regard to holidays, and that is the fact that, while we are compelled to close our establishment, the smaller places of business are kept open. 48. Mr. Bradshaw.] Tou are speaking of all the holidays—fast days, and others ?—Tes. 49. The Chairman^] Tou are not compelled to pay for any not mentioned in or proclaimed under the Act?—lt is the custom to pay for them. It would not be a bad thing to include all females employed in shops—saleswomen—and allow them to leave at 6 o'clock ou Saturdays. I have heard it stated that it would be more convenient to adopt the same regulations for saleswomen and milliners. 50. Mr. Bradshaw.] What number of hands have you employed who come under the Act?— About seventy. 51. Has the number of hands decreased or increased since the Act came into operation?— Increased. It follows as a necessity that if you shorten the hours you must employ more labour. Mr. John Glendining examined. 52. By the Chairman.] I am a partner in the firm of Kirkpatrick, Glendining, and Co., drapers, clothiers, &c, Princes Street. We have a millinery, dressmaking, and tailoring department. The milliners and dressmakers commence work at 9 o'clock in the morning, and leave at 6 in the evening, Saturday excepted The two machinists in the tailoring department also commence at 9 and leave at 6. We have four or five apprentice girls, about fourteen years of age. They work the same hours as the others. I cannot say whether we have any between fourteen and eighteen years of age, called "young persons" under the Act; but I suppose we have about twenty females between the ages of twenty and twenty-four. We do not take a note of the ages. Having only just removed into our new buildings, we have not yet posted up the notices required by the Act; but a copy of the Act was posted up in each workroom in the old buildings. The dinner hour with some is from 12 to 1, with the others 1 to 2 o'clock. The majority go out for their meals. Out of sixty that we employ, about six to ten of them bring their luncheon with them. None of the females work by the piece. None are allowed to take work home; it is all done on the premises. We do not encourage them to take work away. The lowest rate of wages for females in our establishment is that of the apprentice girls, ss. per week. The average rate would be about 27s Od. for females —as high as 355. and as low as 205., according to their skill. The learners get ss. per week for the first year, 10s. for the second, 15s. for the third, or more, if worth it. The tailors—the men—that are employed earn, on the average, £2 15s. per week, sometimes £3 10s ;it depends upon the quantity of work. The men can do the same work as the women in tailoring. The females in the tailoring branch are kept at the machines, button-holeing, &c. They do not make coats, not being strong enough in the fingers. The tailors and tailoresses work in tho same room. The tailors have a society to protect themselves and fix a scale of prices. The females have nothing of that sort. Had the tailors been a little more reasonable there would not have been so much imported clothing in the market. 53. As far as your business is concerned, supposing there was no law on the subject of working hours, and the employes were allowed to work as long as they pleased, would there be any advantage ?— Not for us. If the law allowed it, they might have been working overtime. Before the Act they were working all hours, and got nothing extra for it. 54. Then it is a great benefit to the women ? —Certainly. 54a. As to health ? —They looked as well then as now. 55. Tou do not think them better off, then, in that respect ?—Tes; they must be. 56. Mr. Bradshaw.] Do you think the inspection insufficient ?—Certainly not. 57. Tou know something about the English Factory Act ?—Not much. I know that the inspection under it is very efficient, and that if anything goes wrong it is very strictly inquired into. 58. Have you sent the notice required by the Act to the Eesident Magistrate ? —No ; I was not aware of that requirement. 59. Hon. Mr. Reynolds.] How does the Act affect your establishment—is it advantageous or