IRISH EMBROIDERY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 11

IRISH EMBROIDERY.

;,;';::,X.; ; WIM;IT, COSTS.:;;, ■;; ; ..Miss Martiidalb, ;'.an inspector of : factories in Ireland, has made inquiries [into. the condition; of Irish workers/in country, places, taking,the County/ of.'Done-[ gal;as .■her/field of study,; and the result'.'■ is .. 'a revelation that'-.must [destroy, much, of the pleasure .that.-many/people; feel' [ in: the /, possession /of '.Irish- ,hhnd-[ worked.'embroideries, [for, she -shows : how shbcldngiy;; inadequate.'are[the wages, received .by 'ithe 'workers . for \ their.[ beauti-; : ful:work • ;/■':'[.'' :;//./■ .'/•.'.■ •.■"•:,',':'' .'■'• She found- that /women [who Zembroid-. ered handkerchiefs were paid at tho of..;7d;Va dozen, : and:,that a. dozen' hand■kerohiefs [ivould bo a;'fair 'day's work for' a womahy. .Monograms could be em-[ broidered at the.rate -.of half .a . dozbn a , day, and •: for - these half /dozen 4d." would '.be paid/ Initials 'on.: handier-/ chiefs were paid' for at. the'-rate ,of.;'Jd/ bach., and about ,ten •of these could he finished in .a day I' Working .on a; muslin [tray-cloth a'-woman could .earn lfld. : for two- days'; work;, on; a■ side-board' cloth; she could earn from :4d.. to' Od.' /a day';/on .a table-cloth,'; 35. ; in four days'; and; on ladies'/.sldrts. about 3sV- [ 6d. ■ in a /Week;.:,. For -.knitting :men's : .socks,' men• .were -paid is. 6d. ; a, dozen, and a' worker could seldom'knit more than one pair. or. one.pair and [a-half'a: day.-The finest socks, which/required more labour, wero paid for at the.rate; of is. a dozen. Gloves .'were .paid for at the/rate -of from/2s. to 2s. Bdi a dozen pairs,' a pair and a' half: boing regarded - as ,a-[ good day's /work. - "In : handknitting'' the naual" day's wage, varied ; from [ljd. to. 4d., but the numbers. of- hours worked-..were'far longer '-than in-sprig-ging" (ombrpidery), and work, was said to be in'soino cases carried'on. from. 8 a.m. to 10,' p.m. What-mode-this [work all the moro trying was tho fact that it. was usually distribute among the. outworkers -by.shopkeopera, appointed as local agents by; the: town mannfactimjrs. One/district was described as being "almost studded .with kittle shops in which sprigging for distribution to outworkers is to be seen on the shelves and in the ■windowß together' with the ordinary -groceries;: and : draperies." ' This, of course, led. to all - ■.. sorts .of [ evils,,[ the _ women who: took the work usually. becoming customers of the .'shopkeepers and often running into debt for things they only bought bocause they were to be 'had; for' credit.': '. ".::,.;,:'/-• ;.-/:- ;: . ' :-.[o /

: , One of the. saddest'facts;of the-day' is that .the vilest and worst. novels are often written 'by . women.-rCanon. Paige Cox.;-; ;.■■::;:. :"■•;■" >:■';'.' ■.'. ■; -Nurses in! South' Australia - receive '; 2s". Cd.' a' day, with apartments/' rations, • fuel, and-light. 1 ;- .