Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Wednesday 30 November 1910, page 21


HAIRDRESSERS' HOURS.

TO liHtB EDITOR,

.Su -As an emploi ei of labour in Hie hmdie sn? trade kindly ipenmt me space to 1 iv my vioivs on the vexed question of 'woikinig hours before the public and those m the ti ode Toi same little time ipast lhere has b en a movement arnon' both cmplo eta and the employees unions to bnii-f »bo it a more saitisf icton an mge ment of xxni ing hours LAS muter*, at present lind the working xveek is 5.5 hours Tins tun" is as far as pos ible divided up varoisly to suit lie com cm euee of all parties core rned but up to the pic eut no scheme has ben dev sed tliat will do avvav avith keeping men it wink until 8 o cloctk in the evening on three nights a week dnd until 9 o clock on two nights I have <woil ed under all conciliions of tie trade (when a jonrnev

man myself and I am qmle ni aa ord w li the general oomipl nat among the ni ploy tea that the hours of Lbour ure l»clly distubtiteil And as there row «eisns i 3 ktldiood of the employ e s ni hei des re to compromise mith thtfco m their employ filling into an error of judgmant by «inolionirg a scaedu'o of Ileura that w11 bing the working ddv to a <lo«t. al 7 v m, in lieu of 8 o dec!

on three evenings i week I fin 1 myself at a loss to see that there will bo yen much ganed in the iway of dome tie relaxation for those for whom the mei«ure rs bung sought Such a step would mean that a man would penhips have to journey to Ins home it C o »dock for his evening meal returning again to work foi another hour betsveai 6 and 7 o clock If it is t1iou_ht that i main avho e cajimg keejis him on his feet the xv hole day can go without bodily rus tenanco from noon or 1 p m till alter 7 p m, witliout feeling the pinch of hiinget and fatigue then I contend that thor-e wiho think that way are either tanged with a slißht touch of inhumanity, or else they fail altogether to reab«e that a journeyman in the trade .is not a convenient 6ort of creature without feeling or appetite Speaking as one with a good deal of e_ penence in the trade I think that there would be no loss sustained if the whole trade, eitv and subuibau dosed at 6 30 pu on, Alondays, Tuesdays, and Widncs days, the balance of tille week's working liours remaining as at present By com mencing xvork on five mornings at 8 30 and one morning (whtiohexer might be found preferable to suit uidividual circumstances)

I at 8, the roll S3 hours of Jabour would be,

to my way of -hanking, far better appor-tioned than they are now. Tlhie, of course, ivoirH menin that ali est-bHshments closed punctually and " atteolutely . at 6.30 p.m. And! if there is anything of an ame_or_live nature in the movement now afoot to reorganise the -ours of work, it cannot but .prove more or less abortive if those to be benefited are not granted such convenience of hours es xvill enable tliean to enjoy to the fullest !po_siblo extent the surroi^iñ-ings of their homes, their families, and the many other tdes, domestic and social, that co towards

the sweetening of life for jus ahV

-1 am, I

sir, ¿te, JIM CAVILL.

Xov. 25.