DOMESTIC HELP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 14915, 10 February 1909, Page 6

DOMESTIC HELP.

The correspondence which passed between the Hon William Rolleston and tho Mayor of Christchurch more than a generation ago, and which wo republish this morning, shows that the domestic help problem was perplexing the housewives of Canterbury as much during the early days of settlement as it is perplexing them now. Immigrants were landing in tho country in thousands between 1871 and 1876, the arrivals exceeding the departures by some 75,000 during the three years, and yot the scarcity of domestio workers was so groat in Christchurch that tho Mayor of tho city appealed to tho Superintendent of the province to make representations to tho Government on the subject, and Sir Harry Atkinson, who was Premier at the time, was easily persundod to send directions to tho Agent-General to ship to Canterbury as many suitable single women os he oould induce to leave the Old Country. “ Notwithstanding the completion of the emigration order for the year,” Sir Harry wrote, “ I shall bo glad if you will forward to Canterbury as many single women of good, character who are suitablo for domestic service as you can procure.” This was thirtythree years ago, and yet during the long interval there has never been an over-supply of domestic workers in any department. To-day tho difficulty of obtaining help in tho house is greater than ever. Perhaps the most interesting contribution to the correspondence wo republish this morning is the letter from Dir J. E. March to the Superintendent, in which the Immigration Officer emphasises the importance ’ of tho young colony supplying its own needs in the way of domestio helps. His observations have borne some fruit in these later days, but they may bo very well repeated for the sound oom-mon-sense they contain. “ I desire," Dir Dlarch wrote to Dir Rolleston, “ to urge the advisability and necessity of having domestic work taught in some of the public schools. ... At present a very small percentage of the girls who leave school accept service; they have a distaste for it, and having only been taught needlework, embroidery, etc., the majority seek to obtain situations at dressmaking or work of that description. If domestic work were made a part of the duties tho elder girls had to learn there would not be that disrelish for domestic service that there Ls at present, and I need hardly dwell on the beneficial results that would arise from such a course of instruction. It follows, therefore, I think, that as the supply of this very useful, class of labour is urgently required, and as there is no prospect of obtaining such supply from Home, an endeavour should be made to provide tho same in the colony.” The same remedy for the scarcity of domestic help has been urged again and again since Mr Dlarch addressed this remarkable letter to the Superintendent, hut it seems in. 1876 to have occurred to none of our educational authorities, and even Dir Rolleston was disposed to regard it as being a little ahead of tho times. “If tho people want a certain style of teaching,” he said, “they will have it, and they will not see the force of altering their ideas to meet the demands tor useful servants.” Happily, tho people are now’ beginning to 6eo the force of altering their ideas, and a great deal of the credit for their awakening rests with the popular public officer who was studying the problem as far back as tho early seventies.