Match-Making.

Manawatu Herald, 18 July 1899, Page 3

Match-Making.

♦_ A visit to the match making work 3 at Newtown givea the visitor more than a glimpse into one of the most important industries of the city, and ona that provides constant employ, ment for a large numberof respectable girls. Five years ago, Me?sf3 R. B. j ll and Co., the oldest makers of wax vestas in the world, erected their works in this city, and brought all the science and skill, that many years of patient toil bad taught them to aid in making these works as safe from accidents and free from liability to sickness as it is possible for them to be. Every machine that cou'd possibly harm anyone is safely guarded, the sanitary arrangements are most complete, and the health and comfort of the employees thp the special care of the proprietor?. Mr M'Clea, the manager of the works is a perfect and well-informed guide. and shows the marvels of matchmaking in a way that makes the visitor feel at home. Tou are first shown mile? of strands of cotton f lowly revolving upon huge wooden drums, as they are drawn through melted wax again and again, until the taper has attained the proper thickness to make the well-known waxvfsta of commerce ; about 120 miles of taper being uerd every day. These tapers are carried on othpr drums to silpnt, eimp-e looking machine?, each presided over by a young lady, who deftly presses the ends into a frame, and, touching a pedal withher foot, cuts bundrpds ni ends into the proper leng.hs. Theso frames are carried into the open air to be dipped into phosphor piste this part being entirely done by men. But it is the box filling that most attriut* one, in thi3 busy money making hivo. Dozens of bright-eyed Fmiling giiln stand fit lon£ tables and pick up matches by the handful. Ju-<t watch one of th'tn. A small p'aid box in one band, sho snatches some raatcheß from a frame, shoots them into the box, two pats of the hanc, on gooß ihe cover, and the box is tosoed into a tray. The work ie bo quick thai a box always ?eema to hp in the air, bnt then s*he is on expprt, and earns goorl wagep. The workroom is lnrgp. well lighted, and well venti'a'pd, both by side vents in the. walls und an open ventilator running the whole length of thp roof, which gives free Bcce?s to th> air. Seats are provided for Ihe busy workprs. but they are discarded— om of the girls remarking that ".seat? were about as useful as false bairpinp," and they prefer to stand at their work. In an adjoining building similar lo this ano'her lot of busy maidens are mailing paper boxes, and don't they jnst m*ke tb(m, covers and all 1 The tin b ixe*— those with the sharp corner?, that stick in you and cnt holes in your pockets— being mad^ by boys and men. Close by is the dining room, fitted up with cupboards tables, form?, etc. The walls are lined -with rows of hat-pegs, from which depend feathered hats, furry cloaks, and other articles that adorn ladies' shoulders. Scattered here and there are fashion plates and the Ladies' Pictorial the Yonng Ladies' Journal, and such like literature so dpar to the feminine heart, nnd so incotnprehenHble lo the mind of man. The whole place is Fcrupuloualy clean, as quite fitling for the young people who gather there daily for their lunchpon. Hot water is proviaea for making tea ; and laughter gossip, and the study nf the latest style in tippets fills up the time until work ia resumed. No wonder there is a dearth of general servants, when these works absorb so many girls at good wage°, who prefer light and congenial employment, with short bourn, to the drudgery of househoM work— too often to be scolded at the end of a long day's toil, for forgetting where she left the pcrubbing brush, or losing Master Euclid's left boot. When a girl first enters the works she is guaranteed six shillings per week, but if .she earns more she is paid in proportion ; in six weeks' time she could earn ten shillings, and so on. until she earns as much as twenty-five shillings, a week. The management d:> all in -their

pawer to rn.ik* Iheir employees comfortable, and they succeed, too. Over 100 happy and light-hearted girls find light find constant employ, ment. So much h this appreciated > that some of the girls have been at the works since they first started. The best age to learn is from" 14 to 16, as the little fingers of the nimble workers are then quicker. The eldest of the girls in only about 20, for they soon get married, and. having earned good wage3 for some time, are able to provide a good 011*. fU with which to start housekeepingMuch hus been said of the un healthiness of such work, but not one case of sickness has occurred here that could be tractd to the nature of the work. The system of mixing the phosphor paste in closed vessels, the dipping of the matches in the open air, and the extreme cleanliness practised by all, entirely removes any chance of sickness through handling the vestas. Mr Tregear, Chief Inspector of Factories, in ft letter, says:— '• A<* the health and welfare of the workers is my particular care and duty, I should havo small scruples in speaking or reporting against Messrs R. Bsjll and Co. if I though that even one of the employees suffered from the nature of the work. I do not think fo, and as far as I know, the factory has been useful in pro. viding a source of employment." So much for the h alth of those employed, and now stand aside, and see the maidens pa?s out on there way home — their day's work at an end, and able to spend thoir evening at home, either to help their parents or enjoy themselves in other ways. Girls who live at a distance are pro« vided with free paspea on the tramcars, and these wait for the tram which paeses close to the grounds. Those who live within walking distance bid their adieu? to their comrades, and go on their various ways home. Ail are well dressed and mqde : t a party of young ladies as could be found in any other well conducted establishment in the city. — p o*t- _____