THE DOMESTIC HALF-TIMER IN GERMANY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 265, 1 August 1908, Page 11

THE DOMESTIC HALF-TIMER IN GERMANY.

The problem of domestic service is agitating tho Hausfrau in Germany at least as much as her English sister; but the complaint just now is not so much of the scarcity of servants as of their incompetence. A . Tactical contribution to the subject has recently boon made in one of tho women's papers,. which suggests a sort of half-time or. pupil-teacher' system. Domestic economy and cookery schools are common in Germany, but parents cannot always afford to keep their daughters, there, earning' nothing towards , the family income. So thov fjP, 11 ? 1 * 5 servico to practise on the young and nblpless housekeeper. - Tho proposal is that after a • short preliminary course—say four weeks—of training, thoy. might go out to uprk for a few hours in 'tho early morning and again in; the afternoon for a fiixed hdurly wage. In this way they might earn as much as a girl in ,an ordinary factory could expect to do, and this would cause the parents to look with' a more favourable eyp ( on domestic service. At tho end of, the year they might be qualified to work by tho job rather, than by time. Tho establishment of inexpensive homes in oonnection with the domestic'economy ' schools, where tho girls could live,- while they go out to work by the day or. hour, has also been proposed. These suggestions-show tho- way things'are tending. This schcroo of outside, servico does not sound very'comfortable,'and it is not. likely to find favour in the-better sort of household; but a system by which a young servjint "living in" - was freo to spend par; of each day at the school and received only a small wago, or perhaps nothing but her board and lodging, is one that may have eventually- to he adopted, and should tend to the advantage of both parties.