CHINESE LAUNDRIES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 558, 13 July 1909, Page 5

CHINESE LAUNDRIES.

ALL "PARTNERS." YELLOW MAN COMPETES WITH WHITE WOMAN. THE LAWS SHOULD CUT BOTH WAYS. The European laundry with the protected white woman worker is in growing danger from the competition of the Chinese laundry with the unrestricted yellow man. The labour laws miss the Chinaman, because, as a rule, he is not a wo man, and because, as a rule, he is not even an employee, but a "partner." It is con tended that if the present system of protecting the white woman, and overlooking the yellow man, is maintained, there will soon be white woman worker to protect. John Chinaman in his capacity of laundry man will probably be heard of again in Par liament before New Zealand is very much older. European laundry proprietors all over the Dominion (so a member of the staff of this paper learned during some inquiries yosterday) are getting into touch with each other and discussing the disabilities under which they labour as compared with their competitors from the Flowery Land. It seems that some of the most serious of these disabilities are actually imposed upon the white men and women engaged in this trade by the law of of the land. The European laundries employ almost exclusively female labour, in accordance with the traditions and practice of white men's countries everywhere, and it would be practically impossible for them to carry on in any other way. But women and girls engaged in factories: (and a laundry is a factory within the meaning of the Act) are protected by special restric tive legislation m the matter of hours of labour and the amount of overtime that may be worked. The Unrestricted Chinaman. The Chinese laundries are, as everybody knows, run entirely by male labour, and the same restrictions do not apply. They work at all hours and on any day of the week when it suits them to so so. Observers say that they may be seen toiling every evening, Saturday afternoons, all holidays, and, fre quently, on Sundays. Moreover, as the workers are actually or nominally partners in the business, the question of overtime pay does not come in. Thus, while European laundry proprietors have to inform the hotels which patronise them that they cannot take their work on Fridays, because they must close at lunch time on Saturdays, the China man is under no such restriction. Alteration of the Law Wanted. What European laundry proprietors want is to have the handicap removed bv means of an alteration in the law which will cause the restriction affecting female labour to apply also to male workers in laundries. This was done in Queensland last year by means of a clause in the Factory Act as follows:— "All the provisions of this section applying to females shall apply to adult-male persons engaged in or in connection with a laundry at work which is usually performed by fe males in a laundry." At present (subject to overtime provisions as stated below) the Factory Act prevents fe male laundry employees from working—(a) More than forty-five hours, excluding meal times in any one week; (b) more than eight hours and a quarter, excluding meal times in any one day; (c) more than four hours and a quarter continuously without an interval of at least three-quarters of an hour for a meal; (d) at any time after one o'clock in the af ternoon of one working day in each week; (e) in the case of women, at any time between the hours of six o'clock in the evening and a quarter to eight o'clock in the morning fol lowing. Overtime is allowed, but it must not exceed three hours in any day, or two consecutive days in any week, or thirty days in any year; and there must be no overtime on any holiday or half holiday. Prospect of Extermination. European laundry proprietors say that their industry, thus handicapped, is being rapidly exterminated by Chinese competition. They are, however, still strong enough to kick. There are, it is stated, 41 Chinese laundries in Wellington and Suburbs, and 34 Euro pean. The latter total includes four laundries which taken together, employ about 130 girls and women, while the others employ from three to fifteen. There are usu ally three or four workers in a Chinese laundry; .but it is clear from what has been written above that their share of the trade is quite out of proportion to the number of Chinamen engaged. CHINESE VIEWPOINT. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE CONSUL., HOW CHINAMEN WORK AND LIVE. Mr. Yung Liang-Hwang; the Chinese Con sul, when seen by a Dominion reporter, gave reasons why, in his opinion, the movement of the European laundry proprietors in favour of an alteration of the law affecting the industry should not be supported. The circumstances of the Chinese and the European laundries were quite different, Mr. Hwang contended. The latter were large factories, and had machinery, while the for mer were small shops; where one, two, or three men worked together. He did not know of any instance where there were more than four. Several had told him that their busi nesses had greatly decreased of late, so that from five, working together, they had come down to three or two. This showed that their business outlook was not very bright. Different Conditions. The hours of employees in the English laundries had to be limited, because, if they were not, the employees would leave rather than accept less favourable conditions than those existing in other industries. The law limiting women's hours of labour was a just one because women were not fit for so much work as men, but the Chinese laundries were run entirely by men. They did not take large pieces of washing, such as bedspreads, sheets, and tablecloths. Their customers brought them no towels and very few shirts, and their business was practically confined to collars, cuffs and other small pieces. He did not see how their competition could beruiiioiis to the European laundries, especially the large factories with machinery and many em ployees. Partnership. The Chinese were virtually obliged, to cooperate and run their laundries in partner ship, because, coming to this country singly, and having to deposit £100 on landing, be sides paying their passage money, they needed to obtain financial strength in that way. If they were partners in a laundry they had to observe the New Zealand law in respect to partnership, and they did not want that law altered; unless it was altered in respect to partnerships in every other business. If that was done, he did not think the Chinese would have anything to say against it. Concernlng Sundays. Mr. Hwang also said that it was a mis take to assert that Chinese laundrymen worked on Sundays. They did not do wash ing on Sundays, though some of them did occasionally make up their accounts or sort and pack the washed linen on Sunday. Even that light work was not done on Sundays as a regular practice. Mr. Hwang also repeated tho statemerits which he made on a previous occasion, to the effect that the Chinese do not live so cheaply, as is generally supposed. They spent more money on food and drink than other men of their class in this country. It was their custom to go out on Sundays nicely dressed and to meet together at a social feast, they would have eight or ten courses, with Chinese wines, which paid a high import duty and were rather expensive.