THE "SWEATED" INDUSTRIES' EXHIBIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 151, 26 June 1907, Page 8

THE "SWEATED" INDUSTRIES' EXHIBIT.

(To-tbe rEditocl Sir,—l take it-all will understand that-' though possibly genuine enough, these are not the normal, but abnormal, conditions of certain parts of certain trades, and must be judged accordingly. For instance, the chain and nail makers are a pecuHiar race— I mean, of Stafford, and Worcester shires, and do not take at all kindly to outside interference, and resent well-intentioned propositions for their betterment. A good many years ago I was such an interferer, and departed wiser and with a much sorer head than any reader of the "Star" needs to desire. It is likely the more'general use of machinery will ere long clflee these industries to hand labour. But the question which thinking people must ask isr What manner of females are these who -work at these trades so miserably paid? Why do they elect to go into them? I use the word elect advisedly, for surely there must be an element of election when it is wen-known that in London, in my own native in Yorkshire, and in most parts of Northern and mid-England, any of the following can get, not only their full of wholesome food, lodging, etc., but a more or less substantial weekly payment:—Cooks, general servants able to do a little plain Booking, housemaids and such like, nurses, washerwomen, and in towns general cleaners of offices, etc. Now, in any of these a decent -woman can get .employment readily; infact, Ido not doubt there are probably nearly haLf-a-milliou shortages of these in Great Britain alone. With ibsolutely certain employment in domestic life, if only of decent c_l_.t__.-o- — •<•-

"" 'CMi, uir yeaxg, -vramm ana wnatr, and why, are these ''sweated workers."—l am, etc., L CZLARE. (To the Editor.) Sir, —Is the sale and barter of woman's honour a necessity in a properly organised social community? Is it necessary that girls, mothers of our glorious empire, shall be sweated in our factories, or that women should be paid a "rascally wage"? Is it necessary that any woman should be destitute of home, of hope, of love?*" Is it necessary that a child should be without food, or friends, or home? Yet such are the conditions of many thousands of people in England to-day. Will the reader of these few lines thjftk of the crime that can be traced to such conditions as the sweated industries must hring about. Thank goodness that the people of this colony have had a chance of seeing the disgraceful sweating exhibit that tells such a tale of the poor, and their great temptations to steal rather than be honest.—l am, etc, BOTTOM DOG.