THE FACTORIES BILL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 916, 8 September 1910, Page 4

THE FACTORIES BILL.

CONTROL OF LAUNDRIES. ; .■ '■'■-■___ -;'V- ■•■ THE CHINESE. CONFLICTING VIEWS. A Factories' Amendment Bill,now bofore the House deals principally with ■the control of laundries, and seems likely, if passed, into law, to considerably modify the conditions under, which Chinese laundrymen in particular are how; permitted to exercise their calling; The leading provisions of tho measure, were published in The Dominion .yesterday.- ;.-' ■■ (Statement by Chinese Consul. Invited by a, Douiniok reporter to express an opinion on ...tho Bill, Mr. Hwang, Chineso Consul, raised a series of strong objections to its leading provisions. , ;. .. " . t '.'-.■ "The spirit of the measure," he said, "is entirely.against the Chinese -lauibdrymen; and in fact it seems designed tocatoh :thom, although it may not appear harsh to/a'casual, view. A difficulty will arise at the. outset over tho oWigation to keep a wages and overtime book. Since .the education test was. imposed in 1908/ there have been no and very few of the Chinese in the'.Dominion, can write English.'Of course, they can keep books in Chinese. 'Hie New Zealand Government might shoulder the task of train-.ing-"its inspectors to /read Chinese. I think- that would be the best thing for it/todp."-■-.'. _ .■■ ■■'■'■',' ./.The wages'paid in Chineso and in European Janndries, Mr. Hwang contended, .could, not fairly, be made the subject of'comparison, because- it was usual for the Chinese, workers to roceivo food and lodging from their -employers,'in, addition to money wages. Aiany of them were paid 30s. per week and'fpod and ,lodging.in addition. , "In. regard to hours Mr. Hwang said •he did ,not.think there .would be any difficulty over the question, of working; 'hours,' but if the Chinese laundrymen were compelled to close-their shops at .7 p.m.'-.'"or earlier it would seriously in--•j.ure their business..- Many Chinese' did not work in-the laundries more than BJhours per','day, but.they had'to keep .their .■shops open for the convenience- of their, patrons. ■ .Haying: no/delivery system they relied entirely on people bringing them' clothes to, wash/arid; taking them away . when. the ■ work was done. The. most convenient time', for, this-was the evening and it would be a serious blow, to, the Chinese; if; they .'werp compelled to close during the evening hours. Summarising l his viewsyM-r. Hwang claimed that ■ some latitude should be ;gra,nted;his compatriots '■ iii' the. matter, .•of wages being partly paid-in board and lodging -and allowance, should be : made for .their inability'to keep /books in English. .There need. be no difficulty ■oVer'.thfe question of working/hours, hut tho Phineso; should be - allowed to keep their;.-shop's■' open to. receive; and deliver the work 'entrusted to■'.them. Other./wise.their, business would either be utterly destroyed or at anyrate seriously: "depreciated.,.- .. - . . ; .■; . -. ■ ./ A Very bilTarent View. ' . ■ Mr. : Wy ? '6renfpll ; secretary of-- tho Employers' /Federation,' took a decidedly, different yidwv : 'fhd European, eniployers, he .pointed out, were bound by ; tlie ■liiriitations; of "'.the' Factories,:, Act, and' ;wer.e restricted /in regardi to working hours . andi , other matters,. ..while, their , trade .'opponprits,; the'/ Chiriese,' J were comparatively free. -Europeans considered ./that tlipy were / subjected/-'to. unfair-; competition;; ■ Then again ■ it was only I '-right-that Chinese dwellings, and other buildings used as ; laundries, should be .< subject ; to a pi'oper ■ inspection, the authorities.,. I'his;was a: matter . sehtially j.affecting' the ; public ) liealtliJ As; to/the question :of keeping a. book, 'concluded , ': Sir/:, Grenfell, .Jie presumed the./Chinese,;if unable to write English,' would have European bookkeeper. ".-•'■/'■ .' -.■. ■■'■ . .';-;■'.'. ',:.■. :■;■'■ " ■ .. This/Zstatement-;pf.. the- position was .supplemented by Mr. P. Wills, propri.etprr6f,/;th,ej;yiotpria.Laurjdry, which' is 1 aVlarge..concern, /■ employing"'."oyor seventy hands. The .competition, of .the phineso laun'dries : did -not affect the large' ■' European-, establishments, i.he stated...;; It was , the,- smaller: European .laundries -that 'suffered-.its'- a .result of Chinese-competition.: -.-':■■' : ■-.;-•> ;. ' .' : The / Bill -he. cdnsidered- would have, little, effect' as ..framed.; Practically--it, jleft the Chinaman as'he was.. It contained,,a/.provision that the restrictions imposed as. to; hours; and . 50 : ';,forth, should not apply in; the case :of a , man and his . wife.' conducting a ■; laundry, without' outside assistance,. .and i. this would bo taken full, advantago of.by the Chinese. Moreover, as - the law now :s tood—and' the //proposed ; amendment would not affect the position—they were permitted to nominally carry; on separ ? ate/establishments- in 'the. same build- , ing.- This ' would > afford them ' another, loophole.. Mr.; /Wills declared himself strongly, of opinion that the same control/should bo" exercised over Chinese laundrymen as " 'over. 'their- rEuropean brethren. / The /one thing that, in his .ophuoh; , would''efficiently! secure such a control, would/be, to declare, the .whole of auy building in which: laundry work was carried on, a factory. This -alone would enabld -. a proper;' inspection \ to 'be , carried out. ~ finally, y Mr... Wills roit.erated. his opinion that-' the Bill as ■it,-stands-is but a" blundering attempt to introduce reforms; that;, are very .gravelyi • ;y ; / / ■ "MADE IN NEW ZEALAND." ;--SOME; AUCKLAND OPINIONS. ■. - (By : ' Telegraph.—Special; ..OdrrospondenU f y ,; ; . / -'Auckland,. September 7. . > : The proposals.;of■■ the Factories Act ' Amendment"-.;ißill'i''affect. manufacturers 'chiefly in tlie/conteiriplated introduction of a compulsory ■ brand bearing the notilfica,tion'that .'the'; article has been "mado in -New Zealand." The heads of sey.eral .manufacturing establishments in Auckland wore : interviewed to-day ! on the proposed innovation/opinions generally being iii favour of the new provision, y : .. / ':'..'''.-• '. "I cannot see, looking at the face of it,, that any serious objection can he taken to the'proposed,,provision,," remarked the oh ief of a ■ loading' firm of furniture manufacturers;- "Wo already brand, all our. goods, , and if the manufacture, is a.'creditable, one, and not 'sweated labour, or inferior-.stuff, there seems to' bo no ' good reason why the' maker, should object to the proposed brand. The more we brand the more we advertise.:'Of course, it will naturally ■have, a tendency to raise the standard of manufacture, for if all/manufacturers have the brand it will certainly do away, with aylot of the cheap and shoddy stuff. As things are at present a manufacturer who turns out goods which ho would bo ashamed to brand can pass, them along without owning up to them. Personally, I.should strongly bo in fav. our of everything' being branded, not only by the brand proposed, but with the. manufacturer's own'nnme. Wo want to raise the level of manufacture as much- as possible. All. firms must in the. nature of things' cator. to.' tho market, and by doing so turn out a quantity of elican goods, hut thero is no reason, why cheap goods should be shoddily made. If I manufacture- a cheap article and put my name on it tho public will know that .they are at all events getting an ."article from , "a firm with a reputation to keep up, but if tho. name of.; some. unknown Tom, Dick, or Harry is _ branded on cheap goods it .will ■ certainly make them incliriedtb stay off,'.so to speak.' On tho face of the proposal I should say the 1

innovation will, ■certainly have, a tendency to improyo.. die standard '.- of manufacture.-'. - : . ~,--.... . A leading firm of clothing manufacturers expressed a similar opinion, but another producer of textile, goods thought t-Jia't the' innovation would cause extra labour and confusion.. A manufacturer of leathor goods welcomed branding... for' saddlery, .hut! thought tho Now Zealand boot- would suffer on account of the prejudice for imported footwear. Another manufacturer of. boots took the opposite view, holding that the N(nv Zealand boot; was of a sufficient standard to sell well under its own name. -;. The Laundries. ''/ The laundries'-provision-of the Factories Bill, according to an Auckland laundry manager, misses its object. Ho says:— ' ; "' "■'•■■ "It does nofc go so far as we expected it would go.; This Bill, so far as thfl laundry provisions are concerned; was shaped directly against tho Chinese laundries, but it will not rjrevent thorn from working at all hours ,as' at present. . At"tho present time the Chinese work at hours during which we aro prohibited from keeping our places open, and what we. are asking for is that all laundries should bo compelled to close at 7 p.m. The 1 - present, amendment excepts occupiers. TV ell, • every Chinaman is an occupier, so that ho can go on, working just as he/did-be-fore. What the European laundry people want is a provision that all laundries shall'close at 7 p.m., irrespective" of occupier or employee! The > present amondment does not alter the existing law at all on that point, and as the Chinese laundry is usually run by one or two men working on their own, the proposal misses them. If all laundrymen wero brought under an. Ea'rlyclosing/Act, as is inV force in the Australian States, the evil of unfair competition by-Chinaman would be coped with." . ; _■/■■■■ y' ;, '. : -. . "'-.. .'.