DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 443, 27 February 1909, Page 11

DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

#%UsE'7lMM^^ ':■ } f;ti^TßE^EA^^bPTEi);-''; ,> 7' ~ : -Some'interesting I '.speeches.were,made!at a Vell-attehded7meatihg,' held \in-Christchurch, on '[Wednesday; last,. when, the. question of a'sking7tho Government, to establish, a free immigration -system from England for domestic service,was/discussed. .'..'■.' ..7.Mrs.'-\Cracrqft Wilson, Twho.presided, said that.the'idea was.to 'petitidn'.Pafliameht. to' restore the/free ■■passage system for','-domes-tics.- The'whole/succ&sv.of - tho .sceme would depend upon-the; way. it was "carried, out by 7 the; Government...' Girls i from 1, Scotland'; and some parts 'of"'lreland .wero .considered'.to be .the most/suitable : for sending put, while the Scandinavian girls ''had' been , recomm'ehded,by '■'; the 'Hon. 'George Fowlds, ;■' but.' objection i any, but; English;'girls; 7 .'Ail ; important -reason' ,why7.tbe. Government .should give .'free' jpas,sages■ :tb'-'-single' women;was .that■ the :girls wquld ! be under "moi-eauthbrised,supervision;.

;they would have'a special-part.of. tho ; ship arranged for '■ them; as in: the early, days, and would have' l one Vor. more patrons to itake "charge,'of them on the .voyage and also, on their arrival. ■ Mrs..Cracroft v Wilson then read'a letter from' Mrs. Sheppard,'who;took, a : prominent "part; .'in the female petitionj.-in ■',which .she expressed her pathy with. the proposal to., seoure' the immigration : ,'of''domestic* servants;from England,; but'thought that:instead; of;a free:immigration scheme: ah,; assisted immigration scheme whereby.- the v immigrant would pay at least one-half of v the -".passage.- 1 money would be much, more likely to' catch the; ear.'of, Parliamenli,:. and;.meet, objections.;, .-.-■■' ;. ..' Mrs. ..Hawdon: pointed out'that ; if the' scheme-were to ; be 'carried'.out it would requir.e'.niuch.energy and public spirit on the part ;of theljwomen/i.fbr time, was;'.short ; before .Parliament assembled.; The chief sufferers'were the : women whocould only afford the,.wages ;pf : one: Servant, : and- could;not get her ..because the. supply-would; not meet the.demand.-i'tVas it not true that,much of the' restriction of .the birth-rate' r . amongst respectable people' was the. outcome-of that scarcity-of- : help. -'Wrong as thatlwa's, .who could wonder at ..this excuses made: for it. No business; man'would attempt.any undertakingcomparable with.that of, a poor, housewife; an:. New Zealand.:, She thought;.that a needless" bugbear .was made of the Labour party's; opposition,,, for.could not the members of that party also be convinced of the necessities of; the wonion of New ■'■■ Zealand if the 'cry was;loud enough.'--'-",'. .■_'■■"; •".;■',■" ;;■';;;.■' '■■ :Miss Waferston,:; the; secretary,;:of.,"tho Y.W.C.A., spoke, of, the; need for' strict supervision of the girls on. the; way out, and said .that;, the:, selecting, agents ,;should. be sure.,to,' give the girls a right .impression of, the ,conditions 'here. "..They ,should .tell the /girls that. although they; 'were going to. get ..higher, wages,-;the ..prices 'for, millinery, etc., would also -bo. higher, arid'.they should advise.tlie:girls; not;to;como unless' they had .'a. little.'money, to bring with them for ; when- a girl, came ;sb.-far'-" away from home,- she hail'nothing to fall back on in case, of .sickness,, aud the Government could riot:;always; be : responsible for her after the first, few weeks,hero.;, It would' have to bo made .clear also .that' free ,'immigration was: intended for , domestic : servants.-. only; otherwise: a,; most -unsuitable class of girl might be'brought ,out. ,:Above, all things, the English factory:girl,'who was-something quite different,from, the 'New Zealand factory girl,; should not be encouraged to come -There-was.'-in fact,: no"class of girl in New Zealand; like the English factory girl, and the immigration of the latter would mean the.'. intrpauctipn .of-. ( a: most dangerous -ele-

ment.; into New Zealand. , The. girls should bo made. clearly to .understand that'they were; not coming out as lady-helps' or housekeepers, but as assisted' immigrants or domestic: servants.

. Mrs. Carriugton; suggested that tho girls should bo allowed to have their, ovenings free, for. there should be a certain'amount of self-denial ontho part .of. mistresses. If that were made a rule, and.- were made known, a great many more girls, would bo found offering for service. Madame Bernstein, speaking of Western Australia, said that a free immigration system adopted there,had proved a Buccess,.and she felt, sure that such a scheme would prove oqually.: successful. hero. ,As .regarded the Wages to bo paid, she thought that, considering that the girl was given.her board,' she could do.with less than the prevailing high rates in New Zealand. The girls got a smaller wage in England, and she thought that' they would be pleased to take a similar wage'here, That would be of advantage to the smaller people, who, at present,' could not afford to pay. the high rates ruling.. . ;Hrs.. Talbot said that the need, for girls was much greater in the country than in the;towns. .She thought that the cause.was that the town factories had been made- so pleasant to work in that the girls went.'there from.the country. The girls should be "eh-' couraged to follow the domestic vocation, and. if anything, dignity should be added to that vocation. She would therefore strongly .oppose..any proposal to reduce the rate.of wages, for. such ; a. decrease would reduce: the status of tho,'.girls.;.as a class,: whereas ''as much;as ; possible.should he done to raise' that status. . The more, she considered the matter, the more, she: felt the necessity of bringing girls out from England,'if only the right class could bo obtained.: If North of Ireland, and. Scotch girls.could be got, they would he an honour to tho service, and would not in any, way hurt tho feelings, of the present'helpers. - .>..-. ..'■■."' : .. , ; ■Mrs. Cracroft Wilson remarked that'she, thought thatthe feeling of. the meeting was that it did not wish in any, way. to reduce wages. .The attraction to girls in coming out here was that wages.were high. Mrs. Hawdon;said that the.rate of wages should he regulated .by supply and demand. If it. was proposed to reduce wages the Government would not assist the movement at all. : •;■::'"."■•■ ■:":":':.' /Mrs. Cracroft ..Wilson repjied.she did not think' the.question of wages'.was connected with ..tho petition.' The selection of the girls would be:left in.;the : hands of the Govern-, ment, who: 'would,employ .suitable _ agents, preferably, women- who had been in New Zealand, and who knew the requirements here;. . '■' '■'. .'" was .carried, by 58 votes to 1, and a,small.committee was set. up to bring i the matter, before the ] ladies in other parts of New ' Zealand. '; '..'.;