SERVANTLESS HOMES.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 228, 4 October 1901, Page 4

SERVANTLESS HOMES.

Tuk domestic servants of \’ictoria last week presented the Government of that State with a list of their grievances, and while those grievances arc being discussed it is interesting to make a review of some of the advanced ideas in America. An enchanting picture of the family life of the great central body of the American people—the people who are neither rich or poor but in receipt of comfortable incomes from their labors —is drawn for us by 11. G. Wells in the current North American Itcview. In their homes there will be no servants, because there will be nothing for them to do. Drudgery will disappear, and the toil of the housemaid, the cook and the scrubwoman will bo all done by contrivances that will work with automatic intelligence. Every house will bo equipped with lifts running from the basement to the top floor, so there will be no carrying of things up or down stairs. There will bo no coal to carry, because there will be no fires to make. The house will be wanned in its walls from some power-generating station. Nine-tenths of the present dusting and sweeping will thus bo abolished, Air will enter the house through proper tubes in the walls, “which will warm it and capture its dust, and it will be spun out again by a simple mechanism.” Lampcleaning will cease, for electric lighting will bo universal. The cleaning of shoes will cease too, for only shoes that can be cleaned by a minute’s easy wiping will be worn. in the bedrooms the work: of carrying water and slops will be no more, for “ every bedroom will have its own bath-dressing-room.” Only the making of beds will remain of all our present-day upstairs work." Downstairs the washing-up of tableware will come to an end. It will all be immersed together, “ in a suitable solvent ” and left to dry. Window-cleaning will be done by turning a tap and pouring water impregnated with a solvent directly on the windows |from pinholes in a pipe directly over thorn, running it off into a groove below. And the cooking will all be accomplished with a neat little range heated by electricity, fitted with a thermometer, with easily controllable temperatures, so that it will bo a “ pleasant amusement for intelligent invalid ladies.” So far so good, but as Mr Wells predicts that the family of the future will include three or four children there is a gap in his otherwise plausible programme for the abolition of servants. He does not toll us who is to wash and dress and feed the babies or wheel them out in their carriages, or—hardest problem of all—walk the floor with them in the night. j