The following extract from the Women’s Trade Union League Quarterly Review, July 1913, may be of interest in this connection:—­

“That the Women Inspectors’ staff in particular is far below the numerical strength which would enable it to cope adequately—­we do not say completely—­with the task presented to it, has long been patent to every one who knows anything of the industrial world and the part taken in it by the woman worker.  But in 1912 promotions and resignations left gaps in the already meagre ranks which for some time were not filled even by recruits, with the result that the number of inspections was necessarily reduced in proportion.  To those who realise, as we do, the importance of the women inspectors’ visits, both in detecting infringements of the law and in making clear its provisions and their value to the employer and worker alike, this decrease, even for a time, of the opportunities which Miss Anderson’s staff enjoy of exercising their beneficent and educative influence seems altogether deplorable.  The recent promise of the Home Secretary to increase that staff by two is very welcome, but we cannot pretend to think that such an increase will meet the need which these pages reveal.”

There is one Woman Inspector of Prisons, a qualified medical woman, who acts also as Assistant Inspector of State and Certified Inebriate Reformatories.  Her salary is L300-15-L400, whilst the lowest salary received by Men Inspectors is L600-20-L700.

There is one Woman Assistant Inspector of Reformatories and Industrial Schools in Great Britain.  Her salary is L200-10-L300, whilst that of Men Assistant Inspectors is L250-15-L400.

The Board of Trade

The first woman to be admitted to the higher branches of the Board of Trade was appointed as a Labour Correspondent in 1893.  In 1903 she became the Senior Investigator for Women’s Industries, the salary of the post being fixed at L450.  A Senior Investigator’s Assistant was also appointed at a salary of L120-10-L200, but the salary has now been increased to L200-L300.  These posts are open only to University women with high honours.

The Senior Investigator, with the help of her Assistant, undertakes special enquiries into the conditions in women’s industries.  Perhaps her most important function is to originate investigations concerning women, which will yield information likely to be useful to the Department in the future, when some particular question comes up for discussion or decision.  For instance, when the question of bringing laundries within the scope of the Trade Boards Act was under discussion, the investigations previously made by the Women Investigators into wages and conditions proved invaluable.

There are also three Women Investigators appointed in connection with the Trade Boards.  Their duty is to assist in the collection of information relating to the scheduled trades, in all of which a large number of women is employed.  They may be called upon to help in the preliminary work involved in setting up new Trade Boards.  They explain as far as necessary the provisions of the Act to the working women concerned get nominations of workers to sit on those Boards and otherwise assist the Boards in carrying out their functions.  They also conduct inspections to see that the law is carried out.