18 JUNE 1932, Page 16

GLOVES FOR WORKERS

[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]

Sin,—Whoever goes out to represent this country at Ottawa will almost certainly be struck by a curious development anfongst all classes of workers, from the engineers and stokers on the C.P.R. lines to the scavengers on the Canadian roads. Whole groups of Canadians who earn their livelihoods by their hands are now wearing, gloves, usually of rubber or rubberized fabric. Engine drivers, road makers, railway porters, farm workers have all adopted the new fashion. It is an insurance against occupational dermatitis (eczema), which in most cases begins on the hands and arms and spreads over the rest of the body. What is the incidence of this painful industrial disease amongst those who handle sugar, flour, dyes and so on ? If it be as considerable as the general statistics indicate, Canada's lead is one which we might very