MR. BRYCE AND FEMALE LABOUR.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2981, 22 August 1891, Page 4

MR. BRYCE AND FEMALE LABOUR.

« TO THE EDITOR. Si it, —Whila I generally cnincide with the views enunciated by Mr Bryce on the various political questions, I am altogether at variance with him upon the subject of foinalo labour. In the debate upon ono of tlio Labour Bills now before Parliament, lio is reported to have said that he considered " those mon who opposed the employment of females because of the fear of competiton ought to be heartily ashamed of themselves." Why a man should be so " slated" for wishing to conserve the interests of himself and those dependent upon him, I cannot conceive. Take, for instance, the trade that was under discussion when the above romark was made—the printing business, and anything I may say will apply with almost equal force to many another profession. Home time ago such a large number of girls were espousing typesetting as a moans of livelihood that the rnto »f wages was threatened, and the Typographical Association, in self-defence, insisted that thos» firms employing female compositors must pay them the same rate as the males. Now, I would like to point out to Mr Bryce that while in the great in ijority of cases the males have a wife and f.unily dependent upon them for the necessaries of life, the females, as a rule having no such responsibility, can afford to work at a cheaper rate. Tho association was thus forcer! to take the stand it did, in order to prevent tho trade being overrun liy cheap labour, as under the abovo cirrurnstancos the incn J.it- too heavily handicapped to successfully compote with their Hitters in the trade. Will M' liryce say that the association should he "heartily ashamed" of its action? Females can never, on account of physical disabilities, entirely supersede males in the business, but they can so cut down wages in this and other trades as to make it next to impossible for a man to support a wife, and thus tho females must necessarily suffer in tlie end. The line must tie drawn somewhere, or we will ultim < f•»Iy have the social order reversed ; and. the women having driven tlin men from the trades and profinsi lIH, the wife will lie installed a* the bru.id winner fur her hu.sh.uid and children, while upon the huiband will devolve the household duties and Eire of the family—a state of MFiiis no true man can even ciMiteinplate without feeling humiliated.—l am, etc., COLONIAL.