MRS. KITSON CLARK'S PAPER 109 



Industrial conditions vary in each branch. West 

 Street, west of the Town Hall, is among ready-made 

 clothing works where women are employed. Busling- 

 thorpe, some way to the east, is in a valley of 

 tanneries and dye works. Tanning is going to 

 America, narrow skirts require less stuff, and dye 

 works are working short time ; it is difficult to get 

 funds. St. Peter's Square, S.E., is near the markets 

 and the Jewish quarter. Farther east the University 

 Welcome touches the miners' wives, and our. centre 

 in Ellerby Road, farther south, is in the middle of 

 Irish Roman Catholics, and works among Irish 

 labourers' wives. Hunslet, due south of the Town 

 Hall, and across the river, says "thou" instead of 

 "you," wears shawls instead of hats, plaits instead of 

 curling-pins. It is immediately south of the great 

 iron works where most of the husbands of our mothers 

 are employed, and no female labour. Holbeck, to the 

 south-west, is in the middle of a huge parish con- 

 taining nothing but workmen's dwellings, and the 

 new West Leeds Welcome, still farther south-west, 

 touches another group of big works. 



Branch committees must, as far as possible, repre- 

 sent local interests and understand local conditions. 

 We try to secure the assistance of local minister, 

 doctor, nurse, or local representative of any existing 

 philanthropic institution, and the artisans' wives are 

 very useful when they will help us, but all sources of 

 local energy are generally overtaxed, and we have to 

 import workers, the wives and daughters of masters 

 of local industries, or anyone else with some local 

 knowledge or interest in the district, although living 

 at the other side of the town. Some have to acquire 

 that knowledge and interest through the Babies' 

 Welcome work to which we persuade them. The 

 nearest volunteer has a thirty minutes' journey, the 

 farthest at least an hour (by tram and walking), 

 double that for going and returning, so it is not 

 surprising we lack amateur visitors, 



