L—9a.

4

'MRS. E. DAVIBS.

(j. Do you have your full staff on on Sundays?—Oh, no. The majority of them get off on Sunday afternoon, and those who have to stay on for tea on Sunday night get off after tea. 7. They get their work as far Forward as possible on Sunday, so as to make it as light a day as possible? —Yes; and if we arc not busy —and the whole of the winter we have not been busy they have very little to do, and I tell them to hurry up and get out into the sunshine and have a good day. and they do. Ido not mind if you send a man down to question them about that.. 8. What class of trade do yon do—do you have families:' Yes, and gentlemen and lady boarders. 9. Do you have people who have given up housekeeping? —Yes. 10. Finding it cheaper to board than keep house themselves : you have a good deal of that trade?— Yes. 11. Do you have many come to you on a Sunday from the shipping, or anything like thai ' —Casual people. We have travellers arriving by the boal on Sunday, but not many —in fact, there have not been many travelling this winter. 12. Have you gut the extra room, supposing you had to keep three or four extra hands ?- No ; I have to sleep them out now: I am renting rooms out now for them. 13. If you had to keep four extra hands, as you suggest, you would have to do with fewer boarders) —Yes. 14. So that your income would be reduced in that way?— Yes. I.!. Mr. }'titcli.\ Do you work under the provisions of an award?— No. 16. Do you comply with the conditions of an award?— Yes. We are under the Shops Act, though, and that is practically the same as an award. 17. You say you employ eighteen or nineteen hands: do you give them Sunday off when you cant—Yes, 1 give them a day off whenever I can. 1 give them a fortnight off every year, and pay them for it. 18. Koughh speaking, how many would be off on each Sunday? —Half; more than half sometimes. 19. As you are now, more than half of your staff get a day off each week?— Yes. 20. This Bill would only require you to provide for the other half of your staff getting a day off each week? —Yes. 21. Would not that considerably reduce your estimate of the increase in the wages?— No. 22. You say that you would require four extra hands? —Yes. 23. To provide one day off per week for nine people: how do you account Tor that?— They do not get a whole day off—only half a day—on Sunday. I beg your pardon: I meant half a day. 24. None of your staff get a whole day of? —No, not on Sunday. It could not be done. 25. Bow many hours per week do your people work, then?— Fifty-two hours—not that in shuk times. My girls usually get an hour before luncheon on week-days. 2G. You do not exceed fifty-two hours a week?— When we are not busy we do not. 27. Under the provisions of this new Bill you would still be allowed to work your hands as many hours as you work them now per week: is not that the position?—lt is the day off that we object to, because you cannot expect one maid to do two girls' work. Supposing she has from ten to fifteen bedrooms: you could not expect her to do from twenty to thirty. An old maid of mine here was telling me that she is working at a place where she is doing twenty rooms, and she is getting .£1 per week ami ehe makes £1 10s. in tips. She said she would not attempt to do another girl's work : she would rather do anything than that. 28. Do you say. then, that it is impossible to reorganize the work? —Yes, unless we employ extra help. 1 am positive it could not be done. 1 have been where lam for fifteen years, and I know how to run my business. 1 have had one girl for thirteen years. She,says it is positively ridiculous that these labour laws are so severe. 29. Could you get over this difficulty better if you were allowed to give the hands fourteen days off every three months? —I do not think so. I suppose if it were the law it would have to be done, but it would lie very awkward. They would leave. You would be changing your staff the whole time. You would have fresh girls in the house almost every day. You would never know whom you had or what you were doing. I think it is impossible to work it in that way. 30. Is your place a restaurant under the Bill? —We do a very small casual business verr small, because we are practically isolated; we are right out of the town. We do not cater so much for that. 31. Mr. Anderson.] You say that your staff work fifty-two hours a week: how are those hours made up? —So-many hours each day. .'52. At what hour do they come on?—At 7 in the morning. . 33. And work till?— 1 never worry them, if they get their work finished, what time they finish. 34. As soon as they have finished their work they have done for the day? Yes. 35. They have half a day off on a week-day?— Yes, and every afternoon after 2 for two or three hours — three hours, say. 36. Half of them have half a day on Sunday?— Yes, and then every Sunday evening. The Sunday duties are very light. 37. Mr. Wilkinson.] You pay a rental of how much?—£l,ooo a year. 38. How long is your lease for? —I suppose I have got about thirteen or fourteen years to run. lam not quite sure. I have just taken a new lease, unfortunately. 39. Do you find that the cost of provisions has increased?— Frightfully. ■tO. What items particularly ?—Everything—coals, meat, milk, Hour, butter—everything.