H.—s

16

Miss H. examined. 309. I am a sock-knitter. 310. lam working at Mr. Moore's, in Walker Street. I have been there about three years and six months. 311. I have been all the time at Moore's. 312. I began as a finisher at piecework, and got 4d. a dozen, and managed to make 9s. to 75., working eight hours in the factory and two hours at home. I was about nine months at this. Then I was put on the machine, and then at piecework. I got from Is. 6d. to Is. 9d. a dozen. I earned, when I was pretty expert, about 9s. 6d. to 10s. with night-work; but since the Union I have earned between lis. and 12s. without night-work. 313. I live with my parents. 314. Sometimes I am away from work because of ill-health. 315. The room we work in is very well ventilated, and the sanitary arrangements are all right. 316. I worked the machine with my hand. 317. I have never seen the Factory Inspector in our factory ; but I do not know- him. 318. There are about thirty hands, all women, in the factory—all in the one room. 319. There is a packing-room where the hands get their meals, but a good few go home for dinner. 320. There is a kettle of water put on for the girls to make cocoa for themselves. 321. The room is rather cold—there.is no fireplace. 322. I and my sister were dismissed two or three times at the beginning of the Union, but have since been reinstated. 323. I could not live without the help of my parents, and I am a skilled knitter—one of the best in the room. 324. They all live with their parents. 325. I have tried domestic service, but I had to leave because I was not strong enough. I w-as getting 7s. 6d. a week as an under-housemaid.

Friday, 14th February, 1890. Robert Slater examined. 326. lam President of the Otago Trades and Labour Council, just formed. lam to the Tailoresses' and Pressers' Union. 327. I am certain since the Union was formed the hands are in a more comfortable way than they were—both as regards wages and health are greatly improved. 328. I have known girls work into the morning. Now they can make more money in the regular hours than they could before the establishment of the Union. 329. At piecework the girls can make 13s. to £1 10s. per week easily. The reason there are so many differences in the wages earned is that some girls live in comfortable homes and do not care to apply themselves. 330. Two women are employed as pressers in Dunedin. It is work women ought not to do. It is not good for them. 331. We have no rule in the Union referring to it. I think there ought to be. 332. As regards sanitary arrangements, some of the factories are no better than they ought to be. 333. There is a factory in Eattray Street above a fish-shop. It is not very nice. 334. As regards closets, I think all the factories are well provided. 335. We have been in Morris's factory over two years, and have never heard or seen the Inspector. 336. Mr. Morris said the other day that he had never seen him inside the building once. 337. Boards of Arbitration should, in my opinion, consist of three persons not connected with trade, to whom should be referred matters upon which the Union could not agree with their employers. I think the question should not come up until the Union and the employers had been unable to agree. 338. I would not approve of Boards of Arbitration that would take the power of striking out of tiie hands of the Union. 339. 1 think the Board of Arbitration of the Tailoresses' Union work useless. 340. I wish to say that the employment of boy-labour had driven the best of our men out of the colony. 341. There are not many men out of work just now. 342. There are not many men going out of the country just now. 343. It is the chief talk amongst the Union men about men being replaced by boys in the various trades, especially in the implement-makers and iron trades. David Pinkerton examined. 344. I am a bootmaker by trade, and am president of the Bootmakers' Union and of the Tailoresses' Union. 345. Our trade is very well organized, and has a good Union. 346. All the factories belong to the Union. 347. There is no sweating in it. 348. The trouble is the crowding of boys in the trade. A little over four years ago there was no limit placed on the number of boys. We find too many working in the factories for their benefit and the benefit of others. We limit the number —one boy to three men. There are too many men in the trade.