respectable hotels a girl who behaves herself is treated better and leads a better life and gets higher pay than the female employees in firms of the description of those I have mentioned. 

[Pg 8]

[Pg 8]

I might refer to a hotel in Sydney which is well-known by the name of Nodoubts. In this hotel the young women are treated as well and with as much respect as it is possible to treat a woman who has to work for her livelihood, but at the same time the barmaids in Nodoubts would sooner be behind a counter in the employment of one of the leading drapers in Sydney, if they got proper pay and treatment, than behind any bar.

The Hero, having ascertained that the women in Sydney had some real grievances, at once set about to rectify them. He consulted with some friends in Sydney whose sympathy was on the side of the working girls, and they organised a system of campaign for the girls’ strike. Every respectable girl earning her own living was called out on strike, and received a pound a week out of Reginald’s own pocket. About five thousand girls came out, and the employers at once filled up their places with union men who were out of employment owing to the late strike amongst the men.

Of course, the fact of having wharf labourers and officers of the steamers employed in the place of the girls in these[Pg 9] establishments caused a great deal of annoyance to the Sydney public generally. It is a well-known fact that there are certain articles which a lady may require which she can only ask a woman to serve her with, and, though the capitalists themselves were opposed to the strike, their wives, feeling the inconvenience they were subjected to, were urging them when at home to give in to the demands of the strikers. A girl on strike also has a great advantage over a man in a similar position. When a man strikes he is unable to work at all; he can do nothing but walk about the streets with his hands in his pockets, looking absolutely miserable; the girl on the other hand can always employ herself at home doing needlework, or some other useful occupation, which would at the same time bring in a certain amount of money towards her support. It was felt by Inspector Gooseberry and his staff that precautions must be taken to protect the city against any possible outbreak amongst the girl strikists. Though the girls had behaved in a thoroughly lady-like manner, still 5,000 of them walking about Sydney together caused a great deal of inconvenience to the public, and traffic generally was much incommoded. 

[Pg 9]

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