BOOTS AND SHOES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1614, 4 December 1912, Page 4

BOOTS AND SHOES.

PROPOSED READJUSTMENT OF TARIFF. THE TRADE AT HOME. The Christchurch "Press" of Novomber 27 states-.— In view of a proposal to increaso Hi' duty on imported boots and shoos, a local firm communicated with several of tho big manufacturing concerns at Home, to ascertain precisely what were the conditions of work and the rates of pay in tho Old Country, it being put forward in New Zealand as ono of tho arguments in support of the proposal to raise the tariff that the English goods wero produced cheaply by sweating tho employees. Several replies were received which throw an interesting light upon the state of affairs at Home. A Northampton firm says:—"ln reading the arguments put forward by the spokesman of the boot manufacturers of Auckland, we cannot hel]> but feel that he has been very much misinformed as to bis facts, especially with regard to tho conditions of the boot trade prevailing in this country. We are situated at Northampton in the very centre of the high-grade boot trade of the United Kingdom, and employing, as wo do, nearly 1300 workpeople, we are in a position to state from experience' what the actual facts are. The labour conditions here are very good, the men's trade union and federation have both been very active in securing the best interests of the workers, the hours of labour never exceed 52J hours per week, and there is little overtime worked. The wages, while not so high as in New Zealand, where local conditions are different, are based upon a definite minimum wage, which is loyally abided by, and the minimum is constantly being altered in favour of the men by the method of arbitration which is noiy in vogue. There is iu our boot trade an agreement between the Masters' Federation and the Men's Trade Union Federation which provides a monetary penalty up to JEIOOO incases of ilti-i strikes. The Factory Acts are very stringent iu preventing the working of any young persons beyond certain hours. Further, the women workers have recently come to an agreement with the manufacturers which has materially altered their status and increased their wages considerably. They havo hitherto been unorganised, and their position was unsatisfactory. We have practically no unemployed in the boot trade, and the workers m consequence are able to insist upon much better conditions, with every opportunity to obtain higher wages. We note another remark to the effect that manufacturers hero could employ, as much boy labour as they liked. This in incorrect, as, according to the arrangement between the Manufacturers' Association and the Men's Trade Unions, boys cannot be employed in the proportion of more than one boy to three men. We cannot help feeling that any extra tariff put on imported boots and shoos to New Zealand would eventually tell against the purchaser in that Dominion, for' the reason that the local manufacturer would take advantage of that tariff in order ' to raise' his own prices (and that, we gather, is the real reason why tho agitation for the increased tariff is aroused) without any benefit to the purchaser of tile goods. The same firm supplies the following table of average wages compiled from pnyday, September 14:—Men over 21 yeiu;s of age, wliose wages range from 30s. to 475. 6d., average wage. per man, 325. (Od.; males under 21 years of ago whose wages range from 6s. to, 265., average wage-per male, 175.; women over 21 years of age, whose wages rango from 13s. to 255.; averago wages per woman, 15s. Bd.; females under 21 years of age, whose wages range from 4s. .Gd. to 125., average wage per female, Bs. Id. Another firm carrying on business at Edinburgh says:—"lt- is an undoubted fact that in free Britain there are all I kinds of manufacturers, and more especi- | ally in London, some that stick at noUiing to produce a Hot that looks cheap, .this being done with poorly-paid labour and leather substitutes. "While this is. the case, there are hundreds of reliable firms whox> word cah'l.vi tiikeif'for the quality of their goods. We believe there is l less shoddy going into- boots at the present time' than ever, except in the case of a few at the 'moment, who have been tempted through tho .recent rise in material. The rate of wages paid by the members of the Boot and Shoe Federated Manufacturers is higli in comparison with ether trades, and this fact is made clear when it is made known that no'strike has taken place for over twenty years, and during these years thn wages in the federated shops hnve steadily increased. Our own. minimum wage foy men is 30s. Very few, however, aro paid (lie minimum rate, somo earn 405,, and one or 'two over 405., the average probably earning between 335. and !)4s. per week. This is high as compared -' with other wage-earning classes, as shown by recent statistics in'connection with the labour agitation. A high tariff will probably'encourage people to try boot manufacturing, but it will without question tempt the over-smart importer to buy shoddy boots to keep down tho sellingprice. We are not surprised that New Zealand should demand rood footwear, and there aro many ways' tlrat might be suggested to obtain this before adopting the" doubtful ono of starting boot factories. We would think it would be a long uphill fight for the Dominion to compete in such an intricate and highlyskilled trade as the bout trade is now witli its thousands of most delicate and complicate;! machines. On the other hand, a low tariff would encourage better boots." A Leicester firm say: "In this country th'?re is restriction on boy labour. As a matter of fact the Trades Union set it down that there shall only bo one boy to three men. Tho rates of wage's are: 1 Clickers, 30s, to 375. per week; women, about 18s. average; pressmen, about 275. to 335.; 1 asters, about 335. average; finishers, about 335. average. With regard to the rent, nearly all the people in the foregoing list would be living in houses about' Gs. per week, that is clear; they do not have any rates to pay bcvond tho os. rent."