|Biscuit making | 33·6| 53·5 | 12·9 | 10 10 | |Aerated water, etc., | | | | | | manufacture and general | | | | | | bottling | 54·8| 42·7 | 2·5 | 9 7 | |----------------------------|-----|----------|--------|------------| |Miscellaneous | .. | .. | .. | 12 4 | |----------------------------|-----|----------|--------|------------| |Umbrella, parasol, and | | | | | | stick making | 10·1| 38·5 | 51·4 | 15 7 | |Portmanteau, bag, purse, and| | | | | | miscellaneous leather | | | | | | manufacture | 20·3| 56·3 | 23·4 | 12 8 | |India-rubber, gutta-percha, | | | | | | etc. | 14·7| 68·3 | 17·0 | 12 8 | |Saddlery, harness, and whip | | | | | | manufacture | 37·5| 55·7 | 6·8 | 10 7 | |Brush and broom | 47·0| 42·5 | 10·5 | 10 6 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ Of the above trades, cardboard box-making, sugar confectionery, jam-making, and food preserving come within the scope of the Trade Boards Act, and for these occupations minimum wages have been fixed. The jam and food preserving trade showed in 1906 the low average for women of 10s. 11d., 45 per cent of the women employed earning less than 10s. and over 26 per cent less than 9s. for a full week. This trade is also remarkable for heavy seasonal fluctuations. By whatever standard the average weekly earnings of women in the trades which have been noted are judged, the outstanding conclusion is that they are generally low to a degree which suggests a serious social problem. Averages of less than 13s. are frequent in all three Tables which have been presented, and the reader should be again reminded that these averages are for women over eighteen years of age working a _full_ week. Girls and also women working short time have been excluded. For the sake of brevity, details have not been given in many cases of the percentages of women earning wages between certain stated limits. But it needs to be recognised that an average suggests wages which are below as well as above that figure. Generally it may be stated that where an average is given, from 40 to 50 per cent of the women employed earn wages at less, and in many cases at very much less than the average.