NBWTA Report 1904-055
Image details
| Document format | |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Transcript |
|
| Original Source Organisation | |
| Original Source URL | |
| Transcription |
107 106 OF Sunderland, Warrington, Wellingborough ; Sunderland sending a reso- lution against the employment to their Borough Members. Those of This Department was formed at the last Annual Council. In July last the National Executive decided to inaugurate a movement to universally memorialize the justices on the evils attending the barmaids’ calling with a view to its ultimate abolition. Circulars asking their help in this were sent out to the Branches in September and in November, and Willesden, hoped licence-holders would gradually discontinue employing women; Grimsby and West Ham resolving to memorialize the Home Secretary on the matter. Derby and Southend (County) disapproved the employment of very young barmaids. Many other Benches announced that they considered the matter one for legislation ; none seems to have defended the employment. The Weymouth justices discountenance it already, In addition to these memorials, the Wesleyan Conference, almost all the Diocesan Branches of the Church of England Temperance Society, the London County Council, the National Union of Women Workers, and the Women’s Liberal Federation, have passed resolutions dis- approving the barmaid’s calling. I wish space allowed of giving details of all the time, money, and trouble spent so generously in the cause. The influential support secured for the memorials is very remarkable. Several Branches report having hardly met a refusal. Influential women (among them Lady Henry Somerset), men of position, ministers of religion of every together with literature, draft memorials, EMPLOYMENT BARS. and instructions Darlington, Halifax, how to proceed. The result of the movement thus inaugurated was that in January and February last, the greater number of Benches in England and Wales were memorialized, in part by the B.W.T.A., in part by other bodies stirred to action also. Returns showing their share in this campaign were requested from all Branches. Forty-seven report that, as no paid barmaids exist in their neighbourhoods, they did not join it. One hundred and seventy-nine, including ten Y Branches, helped either by arranging public meetings reported in the Press, or by distributing literature beyond that sent them from headquarters, or by memorializing the magistrates, the majority doing all three. Fifty meetings reported (usually at considerable length) in the Press, were held. Seven thousand copies of ‘‘Should Women Serve in Drinking Bars?” besides the eleven thousand sent from headquarters, and four thousand leaflets, were bought and distributed by the Branches. Nine Branches memorialized their Benches from themselves alone ; ninety- eight promoted public memorials. Of these, forty-five were sent in privately and fifty-two presented to the justices publicly in Court, ten by B.W.T.A. members themselves, and forty by deputations arranged by them of clergy, ministers, and influential persons. The Swinton Branch distributed literature freely and obtained a numerously signed memorial, which was not presented owing to the disinclination of the Manchester justices to receive it—apparently a solitary case. The number of signatures stated in the returns is over fifty-four thousand, several memorials securing three and four thousand signatures each. Twelve Branches, however, do not give the numbers they obtained, and nearly all asked for more or less influential names only. These figures, again, do not take into account memorials presented from B.W.T.A. Branches alone, nor yet the numerous memorials promoted by other bodies ; so that the whole importance of the movement was immensely greater than the above number suggests. Many Branches report receiving help from the Church of England Temperance Society, the Wesleyans, the Friends, Free Church Councils, men’s Temperance Societies, women’s Liberal organizations, and other bodies; and these bodies promoted many memorials themselves, chiefly where no B.W.T.A. Branches existed, but sometimes where they, unfortunately, remained inactive. The movement had this most important result, that the following Benches expressed an official disapproval of barmaids’ employment : —Upper Agbrigg (Yorks), Long Bilston, Finsbury, Grimsby, West Ashton (Glos.), Beacontree (Essex), Hartlepool, Scarborough, Southend, a DEPARTMENT REGARDING THE WOMEN IN DRINKING Lexden denomination—Bishops, signed. Mayoress, At Oxford, the (Essex), Swansea, Wandsworth, Jewish University Guardians, Rabbis, men almost all signed the Roman West Ham Catholic priests— largely ; at Southend Town Councillors, did the so, The movement is most deeply indebted to our President, Lady Carlisle, for her wise guidance and her warm interest. She most generously herself undertook to order the distribution of twenty-five thousand pamphlets and ten thousand memorials; and she addressed a special personal message to B.W.T.A. women commending the movement to them. Lady McDougall and Mrs. T. Mitchell organized efforts going much beyond their own localities. Lady McDougall roused interest in the question in many different places, and very greatly among the Wesleyans. She communicated with most of the Bishops and many clergy, whose co-operation was greatly due to her, She printed and distributed a large number of leaflets, and in conjunction with local B.W,T.A. Branches promoted an influential memorial to the Blackheath Bench, signed by over three thousand persons. Mrs. Mitchell, at the request of the Bradford District B.W.T.A. Union, undertook to circularize all the Free Church Councils and ministers in the West Riding and many other persons, and issued, besides, eleven hundred memorial forms and a thousand leaflets. Memorials were consequently presented in fifteen West Riding divisions, with a total of nine thousand signatures, that from Bradford containing nearly four thousand. The movement aroused intense public interest and wide Press comment, and the result obtained is very great. The important pronouncements against the barmaid system obtained from twenty- one Benches form a secure basis for pressing this reform on Parliament, which we should have lost if we had delayed action One more year, and the present Licensing Bill had passed. Almost as important is the proof we have now thus gained of a widespread feeling |