WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT BUREAU.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 211, 30 May 1908, Page 15

WOMEN'S EMPLOYMENT BUREAU.

— ——Q- —: — QUESTION OF COMPETITION.' (BY COEEESPONDENT.}- . : V Auckland, May 29. ■ . The Auckland women's employment bureau and servants' registry office, under the Department of Laliour, was opened'yesterday. Mrs. \Hawthohie,, ; .who is in charge, stated yesterday that several inquiries had already 1 : beenreceived from' mistresses desirous of '■ " engaging domestic servants; and that it-was ■ the office Avould prove of con-' ~ ' siderable; assistance to both mistresses and » sorvants-'wheii its existence .became better :■! known. vTheso offices will be at the services.. cf ; all women and girl workers, and all those desirous: of engaging female labour of any kind, but their principal function is in conncction l ; ; with .the' engagementVofdomestic Bervaiits. • . ' ' ,• .' T.There-'was;, ono respect, said Mrs. /'Haw-. , ' thorne, in which the Government office might I . 'be;.Baid;.toJdifferXfrom.priYato 'offices'.', < The. , Government office was making no charge, and had nothing to gain from frequent changes of situation on the part of tho girls, and'' it made a-. ( special point of . securing - permanency in ' appointments by bringing to- , gether as mucn as possible. mistresses and' servants who'.would suit each other. ; A com-, , ' plaint had been made in" the South that the ' : establishment of; these; Government labour agencies, is: an interference, with thebusinoss'. , of . private .individuals'-who; are conducting registry-* officcs. ; Iri regard to this, Mrs; *. Hawthorne' said".that the past ; experience in'1 Wellington, . where a sjniilar . State offico was formerly in;; : operation for! some nine . years,' did .not/show that thero was, any undue clashing with the private offices, aa pcoplo still continued to make inquiries from . , thero as well "as; from the Government office. "The, Labour-Department," she. added, "has been acting as employment agent-s in respect to-malo, labour for the past fifteen " years,: ever sinco tho Department was established, in fact.v No "complaint-has been made in regard to this, and I sco no reason I why the female workers should not tavo tho samo assistance in obtaining employment."