TRAINING DOMESTICS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 25, 31 January 1928, Page 5

TRAINING DOMESTICS.

THE AUSTRALIAN HOSTEL.

A SIEVE FOR THE UNSUITABLE,

(From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, December 20.

The High Commissioner for New Zealand made an exhaustive inspection of the hostel at Market Harboro' which has been set up by the Australian Gevernment for the training of domestics for the Commonwealth.

The Australian Government, in common with those of other Dominicns, has been finding it harder and harder to discover women willing to go overseas, and it has become almost impossible to get trained domestics to migrate. New Zealand, which has hitherto had no excessive difficulty in obtaining them, has this year been able to obtain only 50 per cent of its normal number, as these must 6how two years' previous experience in domestic service to qualify for the New Zealand free passage scheme. Australia has given up the idea that it can get a sufficient number in the United Kingdom of qualified domestics and has now set up the Market Harboro' hostel to give a short domestic training to selected women of any calling whatsoever prior to their migrating to Australia. Sir James Parr, in conversation, stated that a scheme of this sort had two objections—expense and the doubt whether it would be better to train here or in New Zealand as has been so successfully done ii» the case of Flock House girls. The cost of training here would undoubtedly be greater, but there would be financial help from the Overseas Settlement Committee, which takes an equal share with the Commonwealth in this hostel.

Sir James Parr was very struck by the efficiency of the scheme now under way at Market Harboro', particularly as it had the advantage that the training here does give a chance of weeding out the unsuitable on this side.

He remarked on the keenness both of the girls and the staff, one of whom, by the way, Miss Jolly, is a New Zealander with experience in domestic science teaching both in New Zealand and Australia. The house, which is a good middle-class English house capable of accommodating the 40 trainees and staff, is entirely run by the girls. Sir James examined the menus for a week and saw that they comprised good plain English food such as a New Zealand family would want, nutritious soups, roast beef and vegetables, roast mutton and lamb, stewed rabbit, beefsteak pudding and fish and porridge was not forgotten. Before they finish their training the girls are told off in pairs to be responsible for the coqjking for the whole house. There was, ae said, an atmosphere of keen enjoyment in their work and a desire to go overseas which it pleased the High Commissioner to note. He was surprised at the type of keen hardworking girls offering for training. Undoubtedly the Central Committee for Women's Training, which is responsible for actually running the hostel, does its work well. It is an experienced body now and has been training women for domestic service in this country precisely because the supply here is exiguous, and to that end it has trained womeu who would have been thrust into the unemployment market, which has in these five years become worse and worse. These women may have some industrial skill, but lack all knowledge of cooking and housewifery, and until this scheme came along had no prospect before them.

It is relevant to the description of this scheme to add that the hostel, which is dispatching 40 girls per month to Australia, has been set on foot at less than the original estimated cost—a result due to the fact that the Central Committee, which has already founded 800 courses of training, is experienced in this kind of work. The actual cost of fitting up the hostel was £300 for structural alterations and repairs, including the installation of electric light, the provision of a coal range in the kitchen and fitting up the outside washliouse, and £1250 upon furnishing and providing all the necessary equipment for training. This was considerably less than the original estimate of cost.