SWEATED GOODS EXHIBITS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1541, 10 September 1912, Page 7

SWEATED GOODS EXHIBITS.

—4 . ' THE CHANGE THEY WROUGHT. (By Telcgraph.-Special Correspondent.) Christchurch, September 9. In tlio courso of his address at (ho con. ierenco of members of, tho Church oi England Men's Society on Saturday, (h« - ■ Eov. J. E. Wntts-Ditchfield referred tc the fact that ho had soino relatioiKliip with Christchurch. on'.;i" previous> occasion, having assisted in connection with tho International ESxhibifiou hero six years, ago. Thero -.vas on view at tho exhibition a very complete (ind very interesting exhibit of work done by ' the sweated workers of tho East End of London. This collection was made by Jlr. Watls-Ditchfield at the. request of" the Js'ew Zealand Government, conveyed by tho then High Commissioner. Asked by a reporter whether nny improvements have Ilecu mado in respect to these sweated industries, Mr. Walls-Ditchfield roplied that, as the result of an exhibition of articles made under sweated conditions, which was held in London, and which was visited (amongst others) by ■ their Majesties tlio King fliid Queen, the attention not only of tho newspaper press'but of large numbers of ■members " of botli Houses of Parliament, had been directed to tho evils of sweated labour.,and this had paved the way for the enactment, somo three years ngo.-of the ' first Trades' Boards Act. This statute, for tho first timo in English history, attempted to fix a 'minimum wage. Tho measure, when before Parliament, was ■ treated as a non-contentious one, ; < and received support from members of all political parties. U was thoiight.'desirablo in.'the first instance'to nmlte it apply only to bespoke tailoring, box-making, chauimaking, and.. certain. • elnss-os of label-making. Although "the Att'liVife just recently got into operation it has effected pniiio improvement in the trades mentioned, and, altlioujih the prices fixed art on a scale that: will take two or ■ llii-ec <\ i years to reach the highest I'afes.the't-e *i^'l! no doubt (according to ■Mγ,- ■AVaHs-niWw-"'" field) that it will 'quietly , though , elowly'-'-i iin prove tho lot of the workers. II way end in-killing what is known as- the-.-"home industries"—that isi work done ."_' ' in the homes of the people—but, if it effects a chango \vh:ich enables the.work.<<i. * ,r be dono in more .sanilavy and cnjnmodi-, ~ ous pveniises, it w:ill be a great thing.. <