The knitting of plain fabric was undertaken in this factory, each girl responsible for 8/10 machines. In addition, there was mechanical and quality control supervision. There appeared in this department to be quite good pro- duction. The company had a testing and quality control department. This department, through the production, had direct responsibility to control quality and production in the factory, and they had engineered this system to try and improve the small time gap between the random check off the machines to a decision being taken in respect of the quality of the garment and the appropriate action to be instituted in the knitting room. The company had computerised control of sales, market research, production and wages.
After leaving the factory and giving it some careful thought in respect of methods of production of the main product-seamless hose and tights, the delegation was of the opinion that the methods of production in this company were about 5 years behind those utilised in the United Kingdom and the machinery being used was old and the factory would require a considerable sum of money spent on it in capital equipment to make it a reasonably modern factory.
MEETING WITH THE MANUFACTURERS
We had the opportunity of meeting the Executive Board of the TRICO Employers' Knitting Association. These were the employers responsible for warp knitting in this particular area of Japan. One must comment that the majority of warp knitting was concentrated here and we were meeting the people who represent, from an Employer's view, the warp knitting industry of Japan.
During the time we were with the employers, the General President, Mr. P. Pendergast and the General Secretary, Mr. H. L. Gibson, had the opportunity of addressing the meeting, placing before them the attitude and views of our Union and the industry in general in respect of the future and its background. We were able to explain to the manufacturers' association much of the social security arrangements applicable in the United Kingdom and also the make-up and organisation of the Hosiery and Knitwear industry in this country. This was a meeting which we are convinced was most beneficial to both ourselves and the employers we were able to meet. In this area the Zensen Domei have 22 units with a total of 7,000 members, the largest unit being 1,000 and the smallest 7.
By a local agreement in this area the Union is given facilities for organising and once they have obtained a majority membership in the factory they are automatically given negotiating rights.
Factory (iii)
After meeting the Employers' Executive board we were able to visit a large warp knitting plant. This factory employed 1,000 operatives and had 3 full time Trade Union officers, 2 men and 1 woman. The average age of the girls in the factory was 19, average age of the men 27/28.
In addition to warp knitting and making-up of lingerie, this factory also had a false twist yarn plant, this being British, manufactured by Scraggs. This area produces about 35% of all lingerie made in Japan and they are going
52