THE DOMESTIC HELP PROBLEM.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIX, Issue 14683, 14 May 1908, Page 8

THE DOMESTIC HELP PROBLEM.

ADDRESS BY MRS S. PAGE. At last evening's meeting of tho Domestic Helps' Union an address was delivered by Mrs S. i'age. The lecturer congratulated the Union on the fact that it had been organised. The solution of the economic problem Jay, she said, iu the matter of unity. The Trades Union niovoment had done a great deal to improve the economic position of men. It was the duty of women to organise because so long as women were content to work cheaply and with small appreciation for their work, so long would their economic value be depreciated. As a natural conclusion, under present conditions, the hours of women's work had been long and the remuneration inadequate. If women organised they would be able to ensure that better machinery should be provided to assist them in their work, and that their hours of work should be thereby shortened. That would give women a fuller opportunity to enter into public affairs, enabling them to take more interest in them and to obtain better education for their Ichildren. T'htTtwo sexes working together could devise a more complete system l of education than by the present onesided method. At present, although a woman might exercise every care in the upbringing of her children so far as home lite was concerned, she had no opportunities to influence the outside environment into which those cliildren must sooner or later enter. She emphasised the principle that women should receive equal pay for equal work with men. Tiie woman who was receiving a small wage in many instances ousted a man from a position aijd as the majority of women married, that inflicted an injury upon themselves. She urged hor hearers to exercise their votes upon all occasions when they felt qualified to use them, and suggested that efforts should be made to iiave classes in domestic economy and other branches of household work established in connection with the Technical College, and to get permission from employers for their employees to attend those classes. That would go. far to ensure that domestic helps sliould be properly trained for their work, and would do much to improve their position. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mrs" Page lor her address, which was followed by an interesting discussion.