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Les cartaa. planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent *tre film*s * des taux de reduction diffirents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul ciich6, il est film* * partir da I'angle sup*rieur geuche, de gauche k droite, et de haut en baa, en prenant la nombre d'imagea nicassaira. Les diegrammes suivants illustrent la m*thoda. 32 X 1 2 3 4 5 6 REPORT TO THE HONOURABLE THE POSTMASTER GENERAL OP THE METHODS ADOPTED IN CANADA IN THE CARRYING OCT OF G^VSRNMENT CLOTHING CONTRACTS BY W. L. MACKENZIE KINCx, M.A., LL.B. OTTAWA GOVERNMENT PRINTING BUREAU 1900 To 8,00 RETURN (87) To an Order of the House of Commons, dated the i8th April, 1898, for a copy of the report of W. L. Mackenzie King, re- specting the manufacture of militia clothing in Canada. By order, R. W. SCOTT, Secretary of State. ' 8,000-1 1 -9-'oo, • H REI Totl S comr the h into out ( first with engaj ceipt nicati intim; able I ture < police any, s ing w tracts such featur whole munic so as in whi years, ally ar the va REPORT TO THE HON. THE POSTMASTER GENERAL ON THE METHODS ADOPTED IN CANADA IN THE CARRYING OUT OF THE GOV- ERNMENT CLOTHING CON- TRACTS. To the Hon. William Mulock, M.P., Postmaster General, etc., Ottawa. Sir, — In accordance with the instructions contained in your communication to me dated 2ist September, 1897, I have now the honour to submit a report of the results of my investigations into the methods heretofore adopted in Canada in the carrying out of Government clothing contracts. This investigation was first entered upon during the summer of 1897, in connection v«th certain subjects of economic study in which I was then engaged, but the inquiry was not persued in detail until the re- ceipt of your communication just referred to. In this commu- nication, as you may remember, you stated, that it having been intimated to you that the ' sweating system,' with other objection- able conditions, had accompanied for many years the manufac- ture of uniforms for post office officials, the militia, the mounted police, &c., you were desirous of ascertaining to what extent, if any, such information was well founded, with a view to consider- ing whether the public interest did not demand that future con- tracts should contain stipulations securing the performance of such contracts in a manner free from all such objectionable features. In compliance with your request for a report on the whole matter, and acting on the directions contained in your com- munication, I afterwards extended the scope of my investigation so as to embrace the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Hamilton, in which most of the Government contracts, during the past ten years, have been executed. I visited each of those cities person- ally and made careful inquiries as to the actual methods by which the various contracts had been carried out, the places where and 5 6 REPORT OF W. L, MACKENZIE KISU the conditions under which the work was done, the persons em- ployed and their mode of employment, the wages and the prices paid, &c., &c. For this purpose I sought and obtained inter- views with the sub-contractors and wage-earners, and procured from them the facts and information generally which are embo- died in this report and which, I have every reason to believe, are perfectly trustwoithy. As you can well understand, the conduct of such an investi- gation was attended with considerable difficulty. Apart from the time and trouble involved in discovering reliable sources of in- formation, the information itself, when imparted, had to be scru- tinized with care, and verified, as far as possible, in every material particular. Not having authority to compel testimony or state- ments of any kind, I was necessarily dependent upon voluntary evidence, which was given, in many cases, with great reluctance. The facts thus disclosed are none the less valuable, and may pos- sibly be regarded as giving additional significance and weight to the conclusions arrived at. For obvious reasons I did not feel at liberty to interrogate any of the Government contractors. As the result proved, this was scarcely necessary, as in no instance did I find that the clothing, which was the subject of contract, had been made up entirely upon the premises of the firms which were awarded the work. In every instance the system of sub-contract- ing prevailed. This system of sub-contracting took one of three forms : (a.) The cloth, already cut, was given out by the Government con- tractor to the sub-contractor who, in return, employed hands to work in his shop, which was unconnected in any way with his residence ; or (b) the cloth so cut was given out by the Govern- ment contractor to a sub-contractor who, in return, employed hands to work in his own residence, part of which was utilized as the workshop ; or (c) the cloth so cut was given out by the Gov- ernment contractor to individuals to be made up by them in their homes, and in the making up of which only members of the family were, as a rule, engaged. All three methods were em- ON aoVEIiSMENT Cl.nTHISd CONTRACTS ersons em- 1 the prices lined inter- d procured are embo- believe, are an investi- •t from the rces of in- to be scru- ry material y or state- voluntary reluctance. 1 may pos- weight to id not feel ictors. As lo instance ntract, had vhich were b-contract- jrms : (a.) ment con- I hands to y with his e Govem- employed utilized as ' the Gov- m in their :rs of the were em- ployed by most of the firms. In the last two cases (b and c) it was diffic xh to discover the homes of the persons who had been engaged in the work. This was more particularly the case in Montreal, where many of the garments were made up in the French Canadian villages, some of which are many miles distant from the city. In the first case (a) it was no less difificult to find the sub-contractors. The old firms no longer having the Gov- ernment contracts, the work of the sub-contractors had been discontinued, and some of the sub-contractors had left the city for other parts of the country. Moreover, as all the contracts investigated were let in past years, it was not easy to seek out the employees of the sub-contractors, namely, the men, women or prls who had actually executed the work required on the clothing. I was able, nevertheless, to meet most of the sub-contractors, to see personally a large number of their employees, to visit a good many of the hornes in which clothing under the Government contracts had been made, and to ascertain from the men, women and children engaged in the work the prices paid for the garments which they made, or the wages received for the services rendered. From some of the sub-contractors I was able to procure but little information ; from others I received pacticaliy all that was desir- ed. The same is true of their employees, and of the men and women who worked in their own homes. In some cases I was shown books, receipts and vouchers covi i' orative of individual statements. Of the evidence gathered in tliis way I have, in this report, discarded everything which was at all doubtful, and have confined myself only to statements which were either corrobor- ated or verified from independent sources. This must be my excuse, if any be necessary, for the brevity of the report, and for its lack of completeness in some matters of detail. I present only such facts as can be established, if need be, by the testimony of the parties concerned. You will observe that the names of those who have furnished information are omitted. There are obvious reasons why the identity of the informants should not be publicly disclosed. The I Iit'l'(l{T OF W. L. MACKENZIE KINp, and thus condition of tinued it at also where, orkers were I apprentice- ipted in the d, it would the sub-con- ; was made at the latter and that, in lothing was ihops as the II.— WAGES AND PRICES. (a.)— THE CONTRACTS IN MONTREAL. During the past ten years contracts on Government clothing were let to four different firms in Montreal. Two of these con- tracts were comparatively small, but the other two were among the largest awarded by the Government. They comprised prac- tically all the kinds of uniform clothing requir ' for the militia and mounted police. In no instance that I couxa discover were the garments made up entirely on the premises of the Govern- ment contractors. The heavy cavalry great coats, and some of the military tunics and riding breeches were made by sub-con- tractors working in their shops. Many of the great coats, for example, those for the infantry, and some of the tunics and trou- sers, were made up by women in their homes, partly in the city itself, but principally in the neighbournig villages. The making up of the cavalry great coats was let by the firm which received the contract to a sub-contractor who agreed to make them up for one dollar each. He received the cloth already cut and also the thread, but was required to do all the sewing and pressing in the manufacture of the coat, including the work on the linings, pockets, a large cape, buttons, buckles, hooks and eyes, &c. The making of the button holes was alone excepted, this being done by machines at less than one cent apiece on the premises of the original contractors. This sub-contractor had his own shop in the city, and, while working on these coats, usually employed from eighteen to twenty hands. Seven or eight of these were men, and the rest young women and girls. As was invariably the case, the men received from two to four times the remuneration of the women, although it was generally admitted that the work perforn^ed could not have been done any better by the men, while in some cases it was thought that it was done decidedly better by the women. In most of the shops a few men had been em- 12 REPORT OF W. L. MACKENZIE KING ployed to do the pressing, which is heavy work, but in some instances women had been engaged as pressers also, occasion- ally men had operated the sewing machines, but this work, as a general thing, had been performed by women. It was only in exceptional cages that men had been employed to do the felling, I.e., the laying of a seam or hem, and sewing it down level with the cloth. In the course of interviews with a large number of the hands who had worked in the shop in question, I learned that the best paid workmen had received twelve dollars a week, and sometimes a little more ; the other men had received nine and ten dollars, and in some cases seven and eight dollars a week. This statement of the wages given by the employees corres- pcnded, for the most part, with the statement given by the sub- contractor himself, except that the latter gave the highest figures he had ever paid which, as a rule, were ab®ve his customary wage. These wages, it should be mentioned, were the best the men had ever received for any considerable length of time, many of them having commenced at three dollars a week and received a gradual increase as time went on. The wages of the women were much lower. According to the sub-contractor's statement, three dollars a week was considered a good wage for a woman, and thi.s was what he himself had paid the majority of his female hands. The best paid woman, he said, had received five dollars and thirty cents a week, the lowest two dollars a week ; and it was possible, he thought, to secure working girls at one dollar and fifty cents a week. I was informed by the young woman who was said .o have been paid the highest wage that, for the first year, she had received three dollars, for the second year three dollars and fifty cents, and for the third year four dollars a week, and that only in her fourth year of service for this sub-contractor had she received four dollars and fifty cents a week. This was the highest wage that had ever been paid her while in his employ. While two or three of the best paid women had received four dollars a week, some had been paid three dollars, others two dollars and fifty cents, other two dollars and twenty-five cents, O.V OOVERNMEXT CLOTHING COXTRACTS 13 ut in some >, occasion- is work, as was only in the felling, 1 level with number of earned that L week, and d nine and ars a week, ees corres- by the sub- hest figures mary wage. ;st the men le, many of I received a the women 3 statement, r a woman, f his female five dollars ek ; and it one dollar mg woman for the first year three ars a week, 3-contractor i'his was the his employ, ceived four others two /^-five cents. and a number two dollars a week. For this wage men and women alike were required to work sixty hours a week, that is, from seven o'clock in the morning till twelve noon, and from one till six o'clock in the afternoon for six days of the week. The men being Jews did not work on Saturday, but worked on Sundays. The women worked on Saturdays but not on Sundays. There was no half-holiday on Saturday. In the shop, as well as in others, it was not an uncommon thing for the hands to be changed occasionally, so that in this way it was possible to retain some of the workers at a low rate of wages all the time. The ages of the women employed in this shop ranged as nearly as I could ascertain, from eighteen to twenty-five years, one or two being older than twenty-five. The riding breeches for the cavalry, artillery and mounted infantry were made by sub-contractors who converted part of their homes into workshops and employed hands to assist in the making. One sub-contractor who appears to have performed a large part of the whole work turned out, was paid, for the making of the riding breeches, fifty cents a pair. He had the cloth deliv- ered to him already cut, and was supplied with thread, but the entire work, with the exception of the button-hole making, he was obliged to do himself. He had also to send for the cloth and deliver the manufactured goods at his own expense. During the busy season he employed about five men and nineteen women. The men worked six days of the week, from seven o'clock in the morning till six in the evening, with an intermission of an hour at noon. The best paid hands received six dollars a week, the others five dollars. The wages of the women were much less. Accordng to the sub-contractor's statement, some of the women and girls received one dollar and twenty-five cents, others two dollars, and the rest three dollars a week. They worked by the piece, and if they cared to work overtime they were allowed to do so and thereby increase their earnings. A number of them, particularly in the summer months, were accustomed to come to the shop at six o'clock in the morning and work there till u KEFORT OF W. L. MACKENZIE RING after nine o'clock at night. Occasionally, they brought with them food for both lunch and supper and ate it in the shop. Others, instead of working overtime in the shop, took the different ma- terials with them to their homes, and worked on them there during the evenings. The most that the best paid hands appear to have made by thus working overtime was about five dollars a week. A good many of the females employed in the shop were under ' /enty years of age ; some were scarcely fifteen, while others were thirty, or thereabouts. Another sub-contractor who made riding breeches was a woman, who wrought in her own home, with the assistance of her daughter, and who, during 'the busy season, employed three girls, all under twenty years of age. The girls received for the first three months, one dollar and fifty cents each a week, and two dollars a week afterwards. They worked six days of the week, and if they quit an hoar earlier on Saturdays, were obliged to put in extra time on other days. The mother and daughter worked frequently till eleven o'clock at night. No men were employed. Another female sub-contractor, while working for a time on riding breeches, for the making of which she was paid fifty cents a pair, employed about eighteen women and girls. They wrought from seven o'clock in the morning till six in the evening for six days in the week, with an hour off in the middle of the day, and were paid from two to four dollars each a week. Three dollars a week she considered a good wage. No men were employed. The artillery and infantry great coats were made up largely by women in their homes. Many of the workers lived in villages at a considerable distance from Montreal. In some instances the work was taken in by farmers' wives who had little to do at certain seasons ; in other cases the women appear to have con- tinued to work all the year round. In some instances only the members of the family assisted in making up the garments, but not unfrequently women or girls were employed at a wage of one or two dollars a week. It was n(jt unusual for them to give O.V GOVERNMEXT CLOTHINQ COXTIUCTS 15 :ht with them lop. Others, different ma- them there liands appear five dollars a le shop were fifteen, while eches was a assistance of ployed three iived for the a week, and days of the were obliged nd daughter o men were ir a time on id fifty cents hey wrought ning for six the day, and 'hree dollar? employed. e up largely d in villages nstances the tie to do at o have con- ces only the irments, but wage of one lem to give their services for a period of time gratis in order that they might learn the trade. In one village which I visited, over fifteen miles distant from Montreal, I learned that nearly every woman in the place was making up clothing for the city firms. I went to the homes of some who had worked on military clothes, and found that they had made up infantry and artillery great coats at forty cents each. For some of the coats the rate was higher, and for others lower. One of the women told me that for militar)' great coats without capes, she had been paid only thirty cents each. For the great coats with capes, and lined throughout with white flannel, she had received forty cents each. With the assistance of her son, and by both of them working steadily from half-past seven in the morning till midnight, or even later, for si.x: days of the week, they were able to complete twenty great coats. That is to say, four dollars a week represented the gross earnings of this woman who wrought daily over fifteen hours out of twenty-four. What her net earnings were may be estimated by deducting her expenses for rent, fuel, light, &c. I mention this case in parti- cular, because I have reason to believe it to be typical of many such cases in the villages in the neighbourhood of Montreal. Another woman who made military great coats at forty cents each, had employed four girls to assist her. Siie usually paid them twenty-five cents a day if they were first-class sewers. In other words, under this system of sub-contracting, heavy Govern- ment clothing was actually made up at two and a half cents an hour. The woman herself was in the habit of working till mid- night and, during the summer months, commenced her tasks as early as five o'clock in the morning. It was only, she said, when she had hired help that her gross earings, even when thus work- ing overtime, exceeded one dollar a day. Another female sub-contractor, who had also received forty cents each for military great coats with capes, had employed five girls, some of whom were paid two dollars and others one dollar each a week, which means that the one dollar a week workers wrought at the rate of one and two-thirds cents an hour. There 16 REPORT OF »'. L. MACKENZIE KlXd were also a number of cases in which girls had given their ser- vices gratis. In one of the houses visited, which was in a filthy condition, I met a woman, the mistress of the house, who had made up serge tunics for another Montreal firm at sixty cents each. At the time I saw her she was making civilian coats for the same firm at thirty cents each, and had as her assistants two young women, neither of whom was paid anything, for the rea- son, it was said, that each was learning the trade. With respect to the military trousers, I learned that practically all of them were let out by the firm which had the contract to men and women in their homes. It was a common practice, it seems, for the contracting firm to cut the cloth by machine on their own premises, and then send it in bundles to individuals to be made up in their homes in the city, and in different parts of the country. As soon as the articles were finished they were called for, and twenty cents a pair paid for the work done, which included the sewing, fitting in of the stripes, pressing, &c. In some cases thirty-five cents a pair had been received for these services. (b.) — THE CONTRACTS IN TORONTO. Only one firm in Toronto was awarded a contract for military clothing. A small portion of the clothing was made on the premises of the contracting firm; another portion was also made on the firm's premises, but in a shop let to a sub-contractor, while the balance was made by a second sub-contractor. The former sub-contractor agreed with the Government contractor to make up the cavalry riding breeches at sixty-five cents a pair. He em- ployed three men at eleven, ten at eight dollars a week respec- tively, and about sixteen women and girls at from two dollars and fifty cents to four dollars a week. Of the women and girls, about one-third were paid less than three dollars a week, the majority about three dollars, and two or three other hands as high as four dollars a week. Their ages varied from fifteen to twenty-three years, or thereabouts. The second sub-contractor ox OOVERNMEJVT CLOTHIXO CONTRACTS 17 ven their ser- /as in a filthy use, who had It sixty cents Uan coats for assistants two ■, for the rea- lat practically ntract to men tice, it seems, on their own 3 to be made f the country, tiled for, and included the I some cases :rvices. t for military nade on the as also made tractor, while The former :tor to make lir. He em- tveek respec- two dollars en and girls, a week, the ler hands as m fifteen to lb-contractor made great coats for the artillery, with detachable capes, at cmc dollar each, and infantry great coats at ninety cents each. He also made up serge tunics for the mounted police, with lining, at eighty cents each ; without lining, at fifty-five cents each. He had in his employ seven men and thirty women and girls. The average wage paid the men was about ten dollars each a week, and that paid the women and girls from three to five dollars each a week. The women did not begin work till half-past seven in the morning, and all hands worked only half a day on Saturdays. (C.) — THE CONTRACTS IN HAMILTON. In Hamilton, large Government contracts were let to one firm. In no case were the clothes manufactured on the premises of the Government contractors ; all the work, so far as I was able to discover, was given out to two gub-contractors and to women who worked in their homes. One sub-contractor made the dark cloth tunics for the rifles and artillery, and also for the Hussars. He was paid for the making of the artillery tunics eighty-five cents each, for the rifle tunics eighty cents, for the serge tunics sixty cents, and for the Hussar tunics one dollar and seventy-five cents, each. I understood that latterly the prices were cut lo per cent below these amounts. This sub-contractor employed between twenty-five and thirty hands. Three of these were men and the rest women and girls. The best paid male employee received from eleven to twelve dollars each a week, and the other male hands six to seven dollars each a week. The weekly wages of the women varied from two to six dollars. Three of the best paid female operators received si- dollars each a week, four or five from four dollars and fifty cents lO five dolkrs, three or four four dollars, aiid the rest from two to four dollars each a week. The other sub-contractor made the red military tunics, the riding breeches and the overcoats and tunics of the post office letter carriers. For the military tunics he received eighty cents each ; for the cavalry riding breeches, sixty-five cents a pair : and 18 HKPOKT OF ir. L. MACKEXZIK KIXG for the artillery riding breeches, seventy-five cents a pair. For the overcoats for the letter carriers, all of which were lined, he was paid one dollar and ten cents each, and for the letter carriers tunics, ninety cents each. This sub-contractor employed two men pressors and a boy, besides a large number of women and girls. One of the pressors received fifteen dollars a week, the other considerably less. The wages of the women and girl? were much the same as those paid by the other sub-contractor. The employees in these shops worked only half a day on Saturdays. The sub-contractors, both in Toronto and Hamilton, had to sup- ply the linen and cotton (but not the silk) thread required for the making up of the goods. The button-holes were made by machine on the premi.-s of the Government contractors. The cavalry, artillery and infantry trousers were given out by the Government contractors to women to make them up in their homes. The cavalry trousers were made up at fifty and sixty cents a pair, the artillery trousers at fifty cents a pair, and the infantry trousers at 33 cents a pair. The trousers for the post office letter carriers were made up in the same way at forty-three cents a pair. The button-holes, in all cases, were put in by machine on the premises of the Government contractors, where also the cloth was cut. The buttons of some of the trousers were put on by machine. I learned, on reliable authority, that the cost of making button-holes and the putting on of the buttons, when done by machine, was at most a mere trifle. The button-holes in troupers can be made at the rate of about ten cents a hundred. In the case of overcoats, in which the button-holes are somewhat larger, the cost is greater; but in no estimate which I was able to obtain in any of the three cities, did I find that the cost exceeded seventy- five cents a hundred, and this estimate, I have reason to believe, is excessive. The putting on of the trouper buttons by machine, I found to be even less. The machine is worked by a boy, and it is very doubtful whether the cost of putting on all the buttons required for a pair of trousers would exceed half a cent. 'G ts a pair. For were lined, he e letter carriers employed two of women and rs a week, the and girl3 were Jntractor. The ' on Saturdays. 3n, had to sup- equired for the were made by itractors. The en out by the m up in their fifty and sixty I pair, and the rs for the post Y at forty-three nachine on the also the cloth ere put on by cost of making when done by )les in troupers i. In the case hat larger, the le to obtain in eeded seventy- son to believe, IS by machine, by a boy, and all the buttons cent. ON QOVEIiNMES'T CLOTIlINa CONTRACTS 19 Wherever the women worked on trousers in their homes they were required to send for and deliver their bundles. In a good many cases a carter was employed who, for ten cents, delivered a bundle which usually contained the cut cloth for four pair of trousers. Twenty-four pairs were, as a rule, delivered for fifteen cents, and thirty-two pairs for twenty-five cents. This item of expense had to be borne by the women themselves. They were obliged to supply their own cotton and linen (but not silk) thread, which was purchased in every case that I met with, from the Government contractor. The estimates given by the women of the quantity of thread actually used in the making of a pair of trousers varied so materially that it would scarce be fair to mention any. The cost, however, it may be said, was a sub- stantial fraction of the gross earnings received. The women oc- casionally employed one or more women or girls to work with them in their homes, the prices paid for the services thus rendered being usually very low. This practice, however, did not prevail to anything like the same extent as in Montreal ; but the same long hours, from early morning till late at night, were common to many of the homes visited, both in Hamilton and Montreal. It was pretty generally conceded that, except by thus working overtime, or by the profits made by the aid of hired help, there was very little to be earned by a week's work. 90 REI'ORl OF \y. L. MACKEXZIK KIXO III.— SALIENT FEATURES OF THE CASE. Having presented the facts disclosed in the three industrial centres in which my investigations extended, it may be of interest to notice the prominent features of the situation in so far as they arc shown by tlie hours of labour, and the wages and prices paid the different classes of employees. It is in these two features, separate or coml)ine(l, that the sweating system, if prevalent at all, is most likely to be exhibited. The real test of the system, apart from other elements in it which aggravate the evil, is to be found in the actual remuneration of the persons engaged in the particular work, and in the time spent upon it. Keeping in mind the three modes of sub-contracting under which the Government contracts were actually carried out, it will be observed that the third mode, namely, that of letting out work to individuals to be preformed in their homes without the aid of hired help, was common both to Montreal and Hamilton. In the former city it was adopted with respect to some of the great coats and tunics, and in both cities with respect to the • military trousers. There was this difference, however, that in Montreal the prices paid by the Government contractors to these home-workers seem to have been invariably lower than the prices paid in Hamilton. But, in both cities, many of the women ap- pear to have been obliged to work long hours in order to procure a bare subsistence. In Montreal there is no doubt, judging by the prices paid to many of the women in their homes, that it would have been impossible for them to live on the earnings of sixty hours of work in a week, and that it was only by their receiv- ing assistance in the work assigned to them or through the means furnished by other members of their families, that they were able to live at all. Of course, it is not generally supposed by those who employ this class of people, that the latter are dependent V(,' ox aoVERXMEST CLOTHIXa COXTRACTS 21 CASE. three industrial ly be of interest n so far as they and prices paid e two features, if prevalent at of the system, ic evil, is to be engaged in the itractiiig under ricd out, it will of letting out ics without the and Hamilton, o some of the re.spect to the • wever, that in actors to these than the prices he women ap- der to procure )t, judging by homes, that it le earnings of y their receiv- igh the means hey were able osed by those ire dependent upon their work alone for a livelihood. Many of them, it is said, took the work only for the purpose of supplementing the com- mon income, derived in a variety of ways by the family. While this is true in many cases, the fact remains that the price which has been paid to many of those employed in their homes, on Gcvernment clothing, was in itself clearly insufficient to con- stitute a living wage. Nor does it alter the fact already stated, that many of the women were often compelled to toil fifteen hours a day, or even longer, on Government work in order to gain a living. With respect to the second mode of sub-contracting, namely, that in which part of the home was converted in a workshop— which appears to have been the conditions under which most of the riding breeches were made in Montreal, and some of the military trousers both in Montreal and Hamilton, the amounts earned by these persons, usually girls and young women, who were employed by the sub-contractors, were, in almost every case, exceedingly low. In Montreal, a^ we have seen, a wage of from one to two dollars a week was not uncommon to women and girls who worked in a shop forming part of a sub-contractor's home, while some even contributed part of their services for no return in money. The fact also appears that when young women were employed on peace work, it was only by working for many hours overtime that they were able to earn five dollars in any one week. As with but few exceptions all the hands em- ployed in these home-shops were women or girls, it would seem not unfair to conclude that very few, and in some shops none, received a sufificient wage to enable them to subsist, had they been wholly dependent on this species of work for a living. As to the first mode of sub-contracting, namely, that in which the sub-contractor had his shop elsewhere than in his home— which was the method adopted in all three cities in the manu- facture of great coats and tunics and, in Montreal and Toronto, of riding breeches also— the wages paid those actually engaged in the work seem to hv/e varied slightly, being lowest in Mont- 22 ill HEI'OUT Oh IK. L. MAVKESy.lK K/Sa rff.ui „ little higher, as a rule, in To-ronto, and still higher in Hamiltoii. Nevertheless, the highest wafe j paiduj the most skilful female workers in Hamilton appears rarely to have exceeded six dollars a week, while four dollars a week seems to have been regarded as a good wage for women. In Toronto the weekly return might fairly be put down at from three dollars to three dollars and fifty cents, and in Montreal at three dollars. The wages earned by the men were in much the same porportion. Where the work was thus carried on in separate ^hops the hours of labour were confined, more or less strictly, to those prescribed by the proving a! Factory Acts. .) L O.Y (lOVEliXMKST CLOTIllXil CONTUAVfM 23 still higher in ic most skilful ; exceeded six to have been to the weekly >Ilars to three dollars. The le porportion. ops the hours ose prescribed IV.-PROFITS. The profits received by contractors is a subject which natur- ally associatc *'= -« --«e. .. i. :^: irTo t;:s:r lerr "='^ o' «.ese Officials in,::;' f. ^ rwlt/ ""' "' °"= and was glad to escan, t„ ■. '"' ^ ''*'^^"' *0P and when^cd w : C "ehlS eff "'.'T "" "" ^'""'''■■-' Hons, lie repi.ej that J '''f '''"'^'' ""y change in its condi- I do not bXe it 1 rr'"" "" '""^<' » '" «>i^ way. tor stating confilr '.. u '™' '™^- ' """" ''^'^ '«^on being as n„:er r ^h";"*?"' °' -^"Contractors. Pection, that some o ,h! '" " "=""' '*'«'■« "' '"=- .bat other, although to aiUoor "'"""" ^"°«=*"-' -" were, in ,a , disref rl . '^'^ r"''' '"'"'"^'"S ™* «•= '». cases of cole " *7." "* ^"'■^' '">P-""^ There were statutes o the ; d fd T ™" ' ™"*' '°"'°™''^ "'* '"e was preserved Te sitl, Z" ""' ""*= "'P=« '« '"e law infiniWyTe ,t lirr°"'.. "^^ '" '™"' ^'"^'tory, was dead let er Th- ad?:ra " T "°"' ^"^ *= '» "^ = workshops conduct nlrwhiirr V' ^°"**'°"^ " .He scope o, the Factc^ ^r,r^^^Z,1 Z^ TCZ"'''" they are, as a mntf^r ^f r ^ l "^ provinces, P of a workshop m ,ts mid^t. a great injustice to the J^EPORT OF W. L. MACKENZIE KING wage-earners and a complete evasion ,^f f., i That such has been the case ZZ "" ''' '"'^'^"'^^^• n-t Cothin, has be:^rurrct :^^^^^^^^^^ ^--- out. The workino- fnr i^ ^^'^>' ^^^" P°'"ted as to a^e and the bol. ^f ^J'sregard of the requirements n.ay a,f Ct led ::„47e*:" "^'^""^ ^ '° '-'*■ influences arising. Jl,.! , . ''"'"'°°' O*'^ baneful tions under whichTe T' "° ■■'"'■'"'™ "'^ '° "■= condi- This led as we h "anutacture had l„ be carried on. ca3es;:ir:e rcrpX .: :?;■' ""-^ ^"^'^ '- -™ hours o( midnight in crde !„ '"'' '™'" ""''' *' wha. degree c, 1 v^r^ herrr; ;:,' "'"'"*™'"='' ^° the hon,e sacriflced to Z ^ ^- ^ * ""'' *' '^'"''^ »' the machine arls°i Z"""" """* °' *= "^'^" " ■=e o, great and frrr,;; ^ "oZr Sel '"'■^'" """= '° m.rser,o( the nation The Iiome ,s stil] the at large, ru^ a cZ " r""'"' " ^° ^P^^'^' ^"^ ^^^ P^^Hc contrac ing dlerri^^ "^^ °^ ---"^ sickness or garments fn ! ^^ '''"''^^'°" communicated by the garments m question. This dano-Pr v,o . ^ fully realized, if indeed it ha, h "'"'' ^'^'^"'^^^ ^^^" Rreat bodv nf '" '""^^'^^ considered, by the great body of consumers. There is reM.r n^fi • "nT:rr:.rr"-.'r-^^^^^^^^^ clothin. In t^. I- P''^'^^'-'°"«'>^ manufactured as that of tha! 3, that parror^^^^^^^^^ ^^"^^^ ^^ ^PP- shops other than thos ''';^°^^'"^ "^ich was manufactured in P than those conducted in homes was, in any sense of -JSt.-T inevitable. h Govern- in pointed efore and uirements to health, :r baneful or from made up rs of the e condi- rried on. in some Jntil the ice. To uties of ?edle or Tove to Jtill the lividual tern of mufac- public less or )y the ■ been )y the revent ispec- lat of ipears ed in se of ON OOVEHNMENT CLOTHING CONTRACTS 29 the term, subject to inspection In all r^ft,^. eiven ont f^ «. , . ^^^ ^^^" where work was the wdlmgness of the home workers to disclose it That 'ch diphtheria »nH «,„ i, u j ^ ^ ' '" *' ''""se with iUneJ L ,h ' * , '"' ""'1'°^''"' ""«="«' «- '=« of their ic5>s nave disclosed other instanr^c r,f fv,^ ^ i,^_ 1 • , X iiibiances ot the same sort. Of *hp ■„ r « . '"* ""' ""^ '^^P-'o-'y "-„. „,her° wi n a veo- filthy condition. Frequently the roonts „ „i,-^^Z clothes were being n,ade up was that utilised as kitch fand dresstng-roont contbined. In some cases the cut cloth orfi"ished gamtents were stored in the sleeping apartments o, the (^,1 although, ot course, other rooms were occasionally used for te same purpose, m these home-shops, the members of the fajjy appeared to frequent the working-room at will or were empToyed .n .t all the time that the work was being canned on. " tjT"1 ''^ '""'"*' "'"'^°"' "'^' "W''. '" "^ contracts for the manufacture of clothing i„ pas, years, the GovemmeM has protected the nation by providinir for ,1, ■ ""■'"' "=' enli«f,H l„ ;.. • ■ . P °™'"S for the equipment of those tio' ir^Ist ""■'"■.;' " '""• "^"^ '° *= "'«'«' <" i-Pec- ton ,„ most cases, and .0 the partial or ineffective inspection in others, pemutted the existence of abuses detrimental to I e employed ,„ the manufacture, and has, at the same time exposed .nd,v.d„als and the public alike to possible dangers of a much graver character. s ^ ^i a mucn 80 liEPOHT OF W. L MACKENZIE KIXG VI.— A SUMMARY. of .he three no J:; "r"':™'""""' '"' --'""e '° °ne result of ,bi! 1 ^ ^"h-contracting already described. As a a partial responsibCr '' Leftor' '"h'"'' °"'^ °^'™=^ whieh 1. was performed. InoLrw': T ""*''°" """" reaping .he benefit, of the eomL T ' • "T""'' """' discharge adenuatelv the l , . ''""'°"' ^"^^ '=■"=<' "> not unfL, ":: L^ja ":::er„i:7::hf"' ""'■ -^^ out of their obligations. ' ^ ' ^'''P''" '^""^'"^ in shops their wages hav! b e„ on ,1 T, ''"" ""P'"^"^'' and where the work was oerfo a I ' '''«««"6ly '"w ; o'ten sneh as ^.ZTJ^^^Zl "l^ZTZ^'T' ^'^ meagre return. In the case of ,J. ? "^ '°'' ^ ""'J' .he general rule has beer ! It'T'^''^'' ''^ -^-tractors 'or a minimun, amount of J T LcX? T"".' °' '""" other objectionable features haCe ^^^^!L°^ "r" '"' -...he workers in the hon.esrr„:rarLl-f of the work of the hands anH . ^ ''^' ^'^^^ ""* -petition Of sub-cttt:: e^ ^re^.r t^ "" ''' o' .hose engaged on Government wor/ha: sifferer c3:! O.y aOVERXMEST CLOTHING COXTRACTS 81 other than unfavourable with those paid as a fair return for labour m other trades or occupations. hasl^^' '°"'''''r' ""''"■ ^'^''^ '""^'^ °^ ^« Government work t^ner T "^ "' ''°" ^"^^^^' '" ^^^ ^here has been no proper or adequate inspection of the methods or the work itself and, as a consequence, individuals and the public alike have been irrharT"!""" "'' '"" ^'^ '''''' °^ ^°"^^^-" - well as to harm m other ways, frnn! "''' T""'' '^' '''' ''' '"'^^^"^^ °^ ^^^^ ^°"ditions, apart rom any other attendant evils of the sweating system, constitute ZulT'r" ^''' °' ^°"^ communication, 'sufficient pounds for Government interference in order that future con- tracts may be performed in a manner free from all such object- .onaole features.' The step in this direction which has already been taken by your Department cannot fail to bring about a much-needed reform, and be productive of great and lasting good to the mdustnal classes of this country. I have the honour to be Your obedient servant, Toronto, January 5, 1898. W. L. MACKENZIE KING.