oo 



332 . REPOKT— 1903. 



Thus, so far as this evidence goes, the total number of males occupied 

 remained stationary, and of females decreased in proportion to the total 

 numbers living ; while in factories the number of females increased 

 relatively to the males. 



Addendum to Sectio i IT\ (rf) and (e). 



The Committee has thought it expedient to examine in detail the 

 following paragraphs from ' Tlie Fall of Women's Wages in Unskilled 

 Work,' by Miss Boucherett, 1899, p. 8, and Miss Deane has kindly sent 

 the necessary statistics and notes from the published official returns, on 

 which the statements are based : — 



'Where (the limitation of hours) leads to dismissal of women I 

 venture to think that the evil is great. It is certainly great to the 

 women. To give an example : When it was suggested that bleach- 

 works should be subject to limitation of hours of work for women, the 

 employers remonstrated and said that as their work depended on the sun, 

 rain, and wind, the hours were necessarily irregular, and that if wo)uen 

 could not be allowed to work irregularly they would be obliged to dismiss 

 them. The remonstrance was disregarded, and the result is shown in the 

 annual report of the Chief Inspector of Factories, p. 320. In 1890 there 

 were employed in bleaching and dyeing 49,453 males and 19,207 females. 

 In 1895 the numbers were 57,741 males and 18,554 females. These 

 ligures show an increase of rather more than 8,000 males and a decrease 

 of 653 females. Now, if no artificial interference had taken place, the 

 pi-obability is that the numbers of both sexes would have increased in 

 equal proportion, which would give an increase of about 6,000 males and 

 2,000 females, so that nearly 3,000 more women would have been happily 

 employed in a well-paid, healthy occupation than is now the fact. (In 

 the millinery, mantle, stay, corset, and dressmaking trades the number of 

 men has doubled, while the women have increased by little more than 

 half. See Chief Insp. Rep., p. 320.) 



' The same decrease of women employed and increase of men has oc- 

 curred in several other trades, as shown in the Factory Report.' 



There are no other statistics offered in the pamphlet. 



AVith regard to these statements Miss Deane draws attenticur to the 

 following facts : — 



Bleach-works and dye-works came under regulation in 1860-7. The 

 earliest official returns are for 1871. Between that date and 1890 the 

 proportion of women increased, as the annexed table shows. The drop in 

 1890-5 did not bring tlie proportion of women down to its level of 1871, 

 and there was no new legislation nor better enforcement of the old at 

 that period. Thei-e is consequently no evidence that the fall was con- 

 nected with legislation, but a priori evidence to the contrary. 



Figures for separate parts of this industry aie only available for 

 1897-8 in factories, and 1896-7-8 in workshops, and are given in annexed 

 table. It is there seen that the numbers in open-air bleaching are very 

 small, and that there is no significant change in the two years. 



The conditions of the trades account for the changes quite indepen- 

 dently of the Acts. Even in 1871 they Avere chiefly men's occupations. 

 The work for the most part is heavy in the extreme, and the machinery 

 used of the most ponderous kind. The great heat, the steam, the dirt. 



