THE SWEATING COMMISSION.

Te Aroha News, 15 February 1890, Page 4

THE SWEATING COMMISSION.

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. Dunedin, Feb. 11. Yesterday afternoon the only evidence taken was that of S. Spragg, who had conducted. inquiries for the “ Daily Times,” which led to the publication of articles. He had found very little of what he called “ sweating,” that is, sub-letting by a person receiving fair remuneration' to people in 4i sfc veas at starvation rates, He found any quantity of work let out at first hand at such a rate that when the workpeople worked until twelve o’clock at night, they earned 12s per week. He put down the primary cause to reckless competition ; that was, recklessness on the part of the employers. Some thought the evil due to the love of the public for cheap things. The Id or 2d less per shirt was no inducement to the public, and very little to t|ie retailer. He thought the fault lay with the wholesale who made a profit, and they should bear thp Blame as long as they retained the profits. The union formed here had been most beneficial to owners as well as employees, by preventing the cutting of prices by uns,crapulous employers. At the Sweating Commission this morning, Miss Morrison, vice president of tbp Tailoresses’ Union,said wages of apprentices and workwomen in shops ranged from 5e to 35s per week, and the hours from 8.30 till 5.30. No apprentices were taken without pay. In factories workmen have to work very hard to obtain a bare subsistence. Half-a-crown a day was a good average wage for.women. If work .were taken home this would bring a shilling extra, This was prior to the establishment of tfye Since then no '' work was taken hofp.e, •jj*. the .Union ",kept a strict , watejb. tsfnce jdje Union started wages had’A* tendency to increase. ‘Workmen were now able to make “fair wages, aß'obfc lsa fid weekly J excluding the hosiery jtracie. '. l ]Che salary condition of tli©’’factories was jjobd' "