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bulk of domestic workers wore outside the scope of the arbitration system. In the case of domestic workers who came within the scope of that system, the Court thought it should exercise those powers of regulation in special circumstances only. The application for an award was dismissed. Last time we came up before Judge Sim in Auckland he spoke very strongly against the waste of time and money in bringing such cases into Court unless the anion had some very good reasons for doing so. and said that they could mil even define the difference between a private hotel and a boardinghouse. The union were not content with this, but brought a test case in the Supreme Court before Judge Edwards against Mrs. Scherff. of " Glenalvon " boardinghouse, Jermyn Street, which they lost. They contended that it was run under the same conditions as a licensed hotel. Judge Edwards said emphatically that this was not a fact, as if a coal-heaver went to " Glenalvon," and demanded to come in and have his lunch there in the same dining-room as the Chief Justice of the Dominion and some of her distinguished guests. Mrs. Scherff could refuse him admission on the ground that "Glenalvon " was a private home and in no way a public house. 5. Mr. Anderson.] Do you believe in the old law, "Six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do," and rest on the seventh? — I do under certain conditions, but every one has to work. I do not believe in it as a hard-and-fast rule which every one must bow down to, but I believe in not working more than is necessary on the seventh day. 6. Mr. Veitch.] Do you believe in each individual deciding the point for himself? —Yes, according to how his business affects him. 7. Mr, Glover. j You said something about general tyranny to the staff: what was it?—l say that if general tyranny was shown to the staff I would be the first to be down upon it. If employees do their work faithfully they deserve as much courtesy as the employers. 8. Mr. Okei/.] What is your tariff? —It varies from 7s. to 9s. a day. 9. You have raised that Is., you say?—We were charging 7s. and Bs.; we now really are charging Bs. and 9s. 10. Have you any difficulty at all with your employees?—No, not the slightest. 11. How do you treat them? Do you tie them down to the half-holiday a week, or do you allow them out extra days?—We give them all the freedom we can. At the present time my cooks get two half-days a week every Wednesday afternoon and every Sunday afternoon. I was the first to introduce Wednesday early dinner, and that enables them to y;et off the two afternoons. The balance of my staff get off every second Sunday in addition to their regular half-holiday each week, the tea for Wednesday and Sunday being run by the housemaids and pantrymaids. 12. You argue thai an Inspector has jus' as much right to enter a private house where a servant is kept as to enter your boardinghouse? —Yes. Ours is just as much a private home. 13. Do you find that a number of people are giving up their private houses in order to stay at boardinghouses?—Yes. especially in the suburbs, where they cannot get help. 14. Mr. Veitch.] You are the president of your organization?—Y'es. 15. Can you give the Committee a fair idea of the increases that have taken place in your tariffs recentiv? —An all-round rise of Is. a day from the Ist June. 16. How far back was the last rise before that? Is that the only increase that has taken place?— That is the only increase as far as I know. IT. How long were you at the point of Is. a day less than you have bun charging from the Ist June? —That I could not tell you. We have never organized prices before in any shape or form. 18. Give us some idea of the rise in tariff in your own private business? —For a very long time my business was run at 7s. a day. Then I bought a house next door to me in which the rooms are far better, and I charge there Bs. a day, or .£2 10s. a week. In the other part I charged 7s. a day, or £2 2s. a week. But now our tariff runs from J<s. to 9s. a day for casuals. 19. You state, then, that there was no increase in the charges made by boardinghouse-keepers in Auckland for a very considerable time prior to the Ist June? —That I could not say. We have never organized on that point. My business was started fourteen years ago in one small house. 20. During the whole of that fourteen years have you made increases in your charges? — Certainly, because I started with a business that had a bad will, and I had to live that down, and I had to give to people more than they were giving me. When I started I took people at as low a charge as £1 2s. 6d. 21. Now you aiv up to Bs. a day?— Now I am going in more for the tourists and travelling public than I was then, although I have a large number of permanent boarders too. 22. Mr. Anderson.] Did I understand you to say that you give some of your hands two half-days a week ? —Y r es. my cook and second cook. 23. And did you say that some of them have a whole day on Sunday?-—No. The rest of my staff get their half-day every week —the regular day that they know they get off, and we never vary that—at least, Ido not think we have ever varied it. 24. You find no difficulty in giving your cook two half-days in the week ? — What took away the difficulty was having early dinner on Wednesday instead of late dinner. 25. The Chairman.] You put up your tariff owing to the increased cost of living!—Y T es; we really could not run at the price. Everything has gone up. Bacon I used to get at from 6d. to 7d. a pound, but I now pay lid. a pound wholesale, taking three whole sides. 26. Yet I think it is acknowledged that the New Zealand tariffs compare favourably with those in almost any other part of the world ?—Yes. 27. Mr. Pryor.] You find it practicable to give a half-holiday, and in some cases two halfholidays, in the week, because the cook, 1 suppose, can prepare for the small meal before going off? —The evening meal on Sunday and Wednesday consists of cold meat and sweets. The sweets