SCARCITY OF LABOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 67, 12 December 1907, Page 4

SCARCITY OF LABOUR.

EMPLOYMENT OF GIRLS.

VARIOUS DIFFICULTIES. (Specially Wbitten for The Dominion.) li my last articje dealt largely with 'thjj' question of boy labour j-:and tho .dcsiro:of ;: thc'j average boy to learh^a-trado. The averager girl, on tho contrary,'.does not yearn fir ing dustrial glory. She is.-quito satisfied to.earna gradually increasing wago for somo four-.o:'.' fivo years, and then'to rcceivo her t#ciity- : fivo. shillings or whatnot per week till such time ""as she - may'._ma,rry'i ;7 vln "tho'.' e'veMtf'xf 'thoj, non-materialisation of' her" ' hyhmneal' hopes, she can, of course, continue to earn her venture miscarry, sho can return to her trade, and perhaps support for a' time her babies or a bedy-iddon husband;:.' There' is this, too,,'that.in somo callings she acquires certain small accomplishments, each or_ which will mako for her success as a wife or mother. Sho will ■ choerfully perform'any duties',' bntTthore is A one tremendous reservation. However great tho inducements ■'offered,.- she .absolutely refuses to lose caste. of Caste. ' / . - .r Although- some- of - the old-timo against factory work for las' djsap? peared, it nevertheless survives to a considerable extent.- Each of tho fallings ; montioited below possesses members- who arb : ladies to their finger-tip's, but while it would bo too much to, say that t any one class refuses to mix-'with 'that'-beneath-it/'yet it the latter as liable to.be-" common," and a firl can' bear to think of hcrself'as: anything" ut that. There is no scarcity of gjrls to assist at the Spring Sales; there is a distinct plethora of dressmakers except during certain brief periods of The year; "yet" cldtfcmg factories —to. quote merely one case—arc sending all over tho country in a vain attempt to procure hands. It is not a question of special • quickness or fitness; anv any age, can securo cmploymentTto^^yyltr-that line of business Though may deem such trivialities unworthy of consideration; though moralists ma£.'stigmatise such-feelings :'as tfio outcome of foolish vapity and conceit;; though tho Press and 'may" proclaim that all laknjr/is.honqurabloand.ennobling—it,.yet remains a fact that tho fcar'of loss of caste is a most important factor so far as our girls are concoruod in tho problem under investigation., "For -it. is truly i; astonishirig' to,note,tho,; sharpness of the linss.'.of.f tween different -classes _of_ girls working for" their living. 'At tho "very top of tho list .como those who .'act as typistes'for relatives... Next oomo those.who.—/fchciudi- confessedly employees —aro: still- typistes:-"; -wo have "sales," then dressmakers, 'then tniloressos employed 'in shop3,. : &nd operatives in woollen mite-' Next como tailoresses employed in factories, and then hat-makers. Then'bootoperatives, brass-finishers, girls in provision factories, .moulders' core-makers, and so on. Tea-room attendants often refuse to own that they go to work-at all. Milliners claim to bo artists, and likewise freo from tho stain. Telephone girls are reserved, and hard to classify. Domestic servants —that is undisguised domestic servants — aro, in somo quarters, socially damned. As "companions," ".ladyz-helpSj," etc.,-they have, moro eocial status, 'and'l'Oceive lower wagc-s. i: -Thero aro no . really'' unpleasant features in any'-*jf- 1 tho,-. abovo -'cflllings.'The ; 'pay jis' J as' good- in: tlio grad.eS 'lower on the list" as— oftijii;'considerably! liettoi tHft'.uppcr" ranks, „'and : work Vis' usually <; much. more ' rev gulav.'" Th'o general conditions aro as littlo repulsive, self-respecting girl is as freo 'from insult in all; and, moreover, in all but s few isolated instances there is nothing'in thq process to prevent a girl being ; l " weJl-i' turjafe"dTontf". on :ne£i<yay to and from' world Domestic Servants. ,G' a V : A point which" it'.will ..be; best forconsider here, porhaps, is tho scarcity of domestic servants, 'niis, it must bo noted, is by no means peculiar to Now Zoaland, but is being experienced at the present time throughout tho civilised world, and it is only to bo expected .that.tho-shortago will becomo more, marked as timo passes and tho general standard of education rises. But while, this articlo is particularly 'concerned -with an industrial question, th'o num&Tictti insufficiency of the candidates for domestic sorvico affects no industry. Tho grand-parents, of tho majority of tho readers -of tnesb linos maiiagod". well enough with, the assistance of mombers of their own familios, and it cannot be contested that a largo;proportion-of tho client;; of the registry offices would be infinitely better off -physically if doing their housework thomselves. There aro some peoplo, however, bo delicately nurtured that they would suffor aoriou's; personal discomfort" 'if ■ compelled : ti> rely,ias-regards-housework,i iipoirTOoir »wri* unaided eiforts, but fortunately these are usually in a position to.pay■ suoh'-hlfGifofflfgi&s and to grant many concessions..that they can tompt girls,of..a superior olass, Many readers'probably'know of cases in which ,an ambitious girl has" cnt-orcd domestic sorvico with, .the'view, to following'.up in hor, spare,time; sorne course of study,.-success m''which; would reinstate, her within the social pale. Poverty, makes; :iis , 'acQu'aihtc'd''>ith7'strailgo bed-follows, ami the same, may be said of persevering ambition. Tlie' giri, induced by the hopes of self-improvement "to. join the listcrhood of the broom and dustor, may not develop into the demure,-soft-spoken, sub-sorvicnt.hand-maid of the old writers, but she pan do tho .lyork, and .that, it.Ja.,prc-, Advocates;, for Hho<State-aide(r<OTport!ition of 'domestic 1 often' d l ravvV'-a : pouching picture■! "ofi thtf'poo'r,''tired mother with a. baby'jii hor arms and an unruly, brood-.pulling at her akirts, as she movbs : 'vvear!ly about attempting, to t jic;rfortn-,4-h,e household drudgory._ As, r o matterj'of, fnotf what such a'one 'fcqiiireiv is a not, a- -hoiiacmaidi-' should be ; no J difhcUlty. in. obtaining JlhoSo.i. If such a difficulty exist in ' any marked degree it would form a 'rather serious count in an indictment .of an educational systom for ineffieitney.. But .1 must leave ,'thia' phase of the question, and 'in noxt article will deal with -.-some of tho. .larger issues.. ■■■,: