MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 September 1928, Page 4

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

ITEMS OE INTEREST

(Notes by

Marjorie)

THE HOUSEKEEPER-SECRETARY. ■ responsible position. The old-fashioned housekeeper usually rose from the servants hall, and her term of service with one family often extended over the best part of her life. Slowly and surely this type, which possessed many fine qualities, is being superseded in well-to-do modern households by the University woman or else by the cultured gentlewoman who .has had a training in household science (says the London “Daily Telegraph”). The duties of the lady housekeeper are really those of a mistress of the household. Now that so many society ladies devote the greater part of their time to social gatherings, race meetings, and travel, it is essential for them to have responsible people left behind when they are absent. The society lady feels that she can set forth with a distinctly lighter heart when she leaves in charge of the home a keen, trusty gentlewoman. Every household is a law unto itself. But in most up-to-date establishments, the lady or secretarial housekeeper takes charge of the household accounts, sees to the ordering in of goods, and the settling up of household bills. She arranges the menu for the day, and, in the absence of the lady of the house, does the entertaining. The candidate for such an appointment should possess a first-class education, with a knowledge of bookkeeping s and typing.- She should be conversant with the duties of men and maid servants, and should have a fair ide'a of hygiene, and minor ailments. But, above all, she should possess a natural aptitude for gauging the requirements and comforts of the household. This post is not affected by age limits, competitive examinations or diplomas. Nevertheless, it is a responsible position, and requires brains and tact. After all, it is a position of trust which calls for administrative capacity and an evenbalanced temperament not possessed by every woman.

LONG LIFE FOR SPONGES. (By Constance Aylen). A much misused article of the toilet is the sponge—an expensive item to start with and therefore deserving of care. And, by the way, it is always wise to buy good sponge, provided you/intend to treat it well. Here are some hints which, if, followed, will make it worth your while: When you buy a new sponge, soak it for a day in clean rain water to get rid of the grit. Then fill a large basin with equal parts of vinegar and water, and leave the sponge in this mixture for twelve hours. Wring it out; empty the basin, rinse well and then, having refilled it with lukewarm water, leave the sponge in it for another twelve hours. At the end of that time, wring it dry and it will be ready for use. Never, let a sponge remain for any length of time in soapy water; rinse it free from suds after use, then squeeze free of water and hang in the air to dry. A hard sponge may be softened by covering with cold water in which you have dissolved one teaspoonful of borax. Put water and sponge into a clean enamel pan and bring to the boil, gently, on the stove. Remove, sprinkle the sponge with a little dry borax, rubbing this well in, and finally lay in a clean enamelled colander under the cold water tap, leaving thus for five minutes or so. It may be your own fault if your sponge hardens or shrinks. Very hot water will cause this to happen. To make a cleaning solution, add two ounces of bicarbonate of soda to a quart of warm (not hot) water. Leave your sponge to soak in this solution for twenty-four hours; then rinse it well in clean, cold rain water. |

DOMESTIC SERVICE. NEW METHODS IN BRITAIN. Very ingenious are the efforts to solve the domestic service problem in Britain (says the London correspondent of the Melbourne “Argus ). Millionaires, who do not mind what wages they pay, can purchase domestic service, as they can purchase most things, but the problem of the housewife, who requires one or two maids, remains unsolved. An effort .to solve the difficulty has been made in North London by Mrs Savournin, who has established a depot in which servants in uniform can be hired by the houi. Her staff numbers 40 girls. One of them can be hired for morning oxafternoon work by any mistress. The charge for a morning shift, from 9 to 1 o’clock, is 4s 3d. The charge for the afternoon shift from 2 o’clock to 6 o’clock being 3s 6d. Many more housewives want girls during the morning, hence a cheaper rate is offered as an inducement to mistresses so as to arrange their requirements that household work can be done, in the afternoon. Mrs Savournin’s success has been great. She has between 800 and 900 clients on her books They pay a yearly fee of 2s 6d for registration, and they speak in the highest terms of the facilities. If a cook is wanted the depot can send one along; if a nursemaid for a small baby the requirement is met equally readily. The girls wear grey uniforms with mauve facings, and their dresses are laundered twice a week, being carried to and from work in a small suitcase. All of the girls return to the central depot between 1 and 2 o’clock each day for a good midday meal in the depot canteen, and, at the end of the afternoon shift, they can have tea at the depot. They receive a generous weekly wage, which is supplemented by such charges as Is an hour for overtime, 6d extra a shift during spring cleaning, or 3d extra an hour when laundry work is done. The ages of the girls vary from 18 to 25 years. Mrs Savournin has discovered that women over 30 find travelling irksome. There is no reason why the depot system should stop the supply of ordinary servants who “live in”; it may well increase it, by training women, who will prefer home life when the zest for the free evening is exhausted. Most of her girls have been in service, and they have no distaste for housework. What they value is the feeling, “I’ve done for the night.” The problem of the evening meal is not solved by Mrs Savournin’s depot scheme, and she does not think that she could find girls who would work at night, though occasionally a girl will volunteer for an evening shift. Hei* wish is to establish a hostel for semi-resident maids, and then to open other depots in other London suburbs. The depot with 40 girls at Finchley itself requires a staff of six, including two clerks, two waitresses to serve at the girls’ midday meals, a general cleaner, and a cook. Mrs Savournin launched her project with six girls, and it took her two years to get it established. Her belief is that such a depot cannot be a commercial success with fewer than 30 girls. Mistresses who have tested the General House Services Depot over a period of two years says that the service sounds more expensive than it proves in practice. The mistress who uses it saves the most of the servant’s meals, nor is there any insurance or holiday expenses. A good girl may get through as much work m a four hours’ shift as an ordinary “general” will do in a morning and afternoon. There are no interruptions. At any rate the depot idea has been tested over seven years, and, so far, it has met every criticism and every call.

VISITING HOUSEKEEPER. New Zealand comes in for favourable mention by an Englishman who travelled to observe domestic affairs, and whose conclusions are published in “The Australasian.” The writer says: “Another plan for domestic help which originated in New Brunswick (Canada), is being instituted by the women’s division of the Farmers’ Union in New Zealand. This is the ‘visiting housekeeper’ for country districts. Such a woman must understand country conditions, be prepared to work in any district, and to undertake all duties. Her services can be engaged for a day, a -week, or up to one month, if her help is not needed more urgently elsewhere. The scale of fees will be 10s for one day, and from 21s to 30s to be paid each week by the employer, the central committee reserving the right to lower these fees in exceptional cases. The housekeeper is paid from the Community Chest Fund of the women’s division, and the secretary has to be notified of the names of employers, the date of the engagement, the place, and the distance from railway, postal, and other means of communication; travelling expenses (second-class) to be paid by employer, and a retaining fee of £1 Is to be paid when engaging the housekeeper’s services, this sum to be deducted from total amount when engagement is terminated. The housekeeper during her visit is to be given a room to herself, and when receiving fees to issue two receipts, one to the employer and one to the central committee. Such a proposal would naturally always require to be financially assisted by a central society, and is somewhat similar to another project which has been in existence for some years in Wellington (New Zealand). This is the ‘visiting domestic helpers’ scheme,’ designed to bring help in the towns to mothers of young children. The standard payment is 5s a half day and the helper goes for a half-day of four hours at a time. Where this scale of fees is beyond the means of the household the committee allows a reduction, the exact amount paid by the mother being a private matter between the employer and the central committee. It is not desired that the plan should be entirely self-supporting as it has been designed to help mothers of all classes who are in need of help and relaxation from household duties. Application for a helper’s services are made direct to the secretary, who also discusses the work to be done.”