THE "WANT" OF DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 30, 5 February 1891, Page 2

THE "WANT" OF DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

(To the Editor.)

Sib,—•'Paterfamilias" remarks that; lam careful in ignoring the main subjects of his letter, to wit, the cessation of the domestic servants' arrival from Home, and the dialike of colonial trirls for household work. I

carefully reply that tbero is no occasion for the Home articles in view of the supply at hand, ready and willing, when treated kindly, to perform their share of duties ; and I am careful in refuting the second clause of your correspondent's indictment on the strength of the fact that a very large number of our settlers' daughters seek service at household work and only change the venue to become the hard-working wives of that most hardlywroughb and worst-paid class amongst us— the struggling farmer. From the not overpopulous village in which I write, no less than twenty-five girls occupy positions as domestic servants in Auckland and the neighbourhood, giving every satisfaction to their employers, as is evidenced by their retention of their places for years, and ib is reasonable to believe that so far from this being exeptional, it is thence, that as large a percentage, according to population with like results, obtains from each of every other up-country settlement; and this being so, it seem? passing strange thab wibh all "Paterfamilias'" vast experiences he should have to deplore the scarcity of servants, and wail over their " want of all principles of common honesty.' There appears to be a screw loose, or too tight, somewhere, and since the slavey of " Paterfamilias'" experience (judging by his plaints) pays hie system of domestic economy the doubtful compliment of preferring to find, herself and with lees "screw" at other avocations, than endure his benign rule, it looks as if he has failed to notice some beam or another in his own eye. May I suggest to your correspondent, if he has care to hear, bhe thoughtful consideration of a pertinenb and worthy sentiment uttered by the Bishop of Durham as given in last month's issue of "Justice. , 1 quote from memory :—Wage labour is as little fitted to represent adequately the connection of man with man as slavery or serfdom, bub the thought (and duty) of a trua socialism is, that as we are all members pf one great family—toiling, rejoicing, suffering togebher—each touches all and all touches each with an inevitable influence ; and fehab as we live by others, so also we shall find no peace until we also live for others. The wise Bishop thinks, and thinks rightly ("namby pamby" sentiment notwithstanding), that a larger and wider fellowship is the crying need of the day. The law of the land compels " Paterfamilias " to protect his servant physically, because she is removed through the" exigencies of circumstances from the sphere of natural parental care. A higher law with a golden rule should conebrain him to serve his servant, and, his idea of fatherhood being nob too narrow, he will remember thab as encouragement! and sympathy are necessarily supplied by him to his own children ac incentives bo praiseworthy conduct, so likewise somebody else's daughter, who is accepted as a very present help, "wants" something more akin to the touch of human nature than is found in the email quantum of oil of gold doled out to her, and tho daily pabulum which makes the mere animal part of the machine " gee."—l am, etc., S.S.R. Tuakau.