DOMESTIC SERVICE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 137, 13 June 1910, Page 7

DOMESTIC SERVICE.

ARRIVALS BY THE ARAWA. WORK OF THE WOMEN'S EMIGRANT ASSOCIATION. Standing on the aft deck of the Arawa as she berthed at the Queen's Wharf today were over twenty strong and healthylooking girls, who have com© out from London under the auspices of the British Women's Emigration Association, An active and energetic lady was giving them various directionfl as to the disposal of their baggage, the transfer of tickets, and other matters relating to their clearance by the Customs, and the finaJ stages of their journey. The overseer was Mm. Hums Lindsay, one of the matrons of the British Women's iiimigrataon Association, and also Emigration Agent for Women on behalf of the New Zealand Government. She had accompanied the girls from London, attending to their requirements at both ends ot tho voyage, and seeing them safely to their respective destinations in New Zealand. A PHILANTHROPIC WORK. In conversation with a member of tii© Posb staff, Mrs. Lindsay gave aai interesting outline of tho work and' objects of the association. "Our association was founded by Airs. Joyce, of Winchester, about eighteen years ago, amd is now composed of a number of philanthropic ladies and gentlemen, whose object is the welfare of young women emigrants and to give them as good a chance in life as possible. During the time the a&socia.tion has been in existence it has sent out to the colonies — principally Canada and New Zealand — thousands of domestic servants, and seen that they are comfortably settled on arrival at their destinations. Before a young woman is accepted by the association she is required to pass a medical examination by an independent doctor in London, and must have three certificates, one from the doctor, one from a clergyman, and another from her employer. Girls who cannot afford the passage money (£lO to New Zealand) have tho amount advanced to them, and places are found in New Zealand by a syndicate of which Mrs. Lowry is head. In return, the girls are morally bound to the association for a periotl of a year, at the expiration of which the majority aire in a position to repay .the passage advanced. This association guarantees to find the young women situations having a weekly wage of not less than iss, and the association never takes girls to any .town where there is no home .such as the Girls' Friendly Society, the Young Women's Christian Association, n»d kindred societies, >vhere they can find immediate shelter, or whither they may go in the event of their situations being unsatisfactory. In Canada the Government allows the immigrants twenty- four hours' free board on arrival. DOMESTICS FOR CANADA. "Prior to my leaving for New Zealand I had just taken 75 girls from London to Canada, a number of them being bound for Calgary, Banff, Winnipeg, and Vancouver. The steamer by which we travelled — the Lake Champlain — had no fewer than 1200 emigrants of both sexes for Canada. In three days no less than 3000 immigrants from Europe landed at St. John's, New Brunswick, and people are still pouring into the' great Dominion. On an average we despatch to Canada from 75 to 100 girls every month from March to November. The conditions of living in Canada, especially in the West, de-, mand very strong and self-reliant girls. Their work would be much harder than that in New Zealand, the standard of civilisation being, I think, higher in this country than in the western provinces of Canada. A liberal concession is allowed by the Canadian-Pacific Railway in taking the girls ou<\ West, and as it means about five or six hundred pounds to the company during the season, they cater a good deal for the association's business. THE NEW ARRIVALS. "There are twenty-eight of the asso- 1 ciation's girls for New Zealand on the Arawa, and they represent the very best class we can find in England. In fact, they are considerably better than the average servant class in the Old Country. All of the girls have situations ready for them, and seventeen are leaving for the Hawkes Bay district immediately. Of the large number of young women sent out from England to the colonies it may be said of the majority that if they remained in London there would be absolutely nothing ahead of them in life except, perhaps to marry a ■iian who is out. of work for nine months of the year. Our association's object is to see such girls in better circumstances, with a view to their marrying comfortably in the colonies. We sent out two lots of domestic servants every year to Uew Zealand, twenty-five to thirty each. The next party will arrive hero about October." Mrs. Lindsay is proceeding to Napier with the girls for that district, and on return will be the guest of the New Zealand Government at the Girls' Friendly Society. She subsequently returns to England by the Arawa, sailing next month, and almost immediately after arrival in London will leave for Vancouver in charge of another targe party.