STATUS OF DOMESTIC SERVICE.

Northern Advocate, 20 December 1919, Page 3

STATUS OF DOMESTIC SERVICE.

WOMEN'S MEETING

AMUSING SYDNEY EPISODE

Such gusts of laughter as probably its dignified walls never echoed to before rang through the vestibule of the Town Hall, Sydney, recently, says an exchange, when a multitude of women gathered to discuss the matter of improving th e status of domestic service. The meeting, convened by the Lord Mayor, created much interest. Mrs Edgeworth David was in the chair and a great many well-known women were present. Mrs Sydney Herring told a story, certified as absolutely true, to the effect that an elderly widower with a large family of young children was seeking to engag e a woman to keep house for him and care for the children. He could offer only 10s per week as wages, but added that if no one could be found to accept those condition.he was willing to marry the woman. | Ther e was something in this bit of real life that (in spite of its pathos) appealed to the essentially feminine quality of the audience. No son of Adam would ever really comprehend why the whole assembly rocked with laughter. The "domestic arena" is an expression that has displaced the old, comfortable phrase , "domestic hearth," and it rather aptly indicates the changed conditions of life. The desirableness of raising the status of the domestic helper, legalising the hours and remuneration and increasing the facilities for teaching practical domestic science an I mother-craft were among the resolutions passed by the meeting. One heartily supported suggestion was that every architect should be forced to serve six months in a kitchen before being allowed to plan a home. It was conceded that mistresses are often as badly in need of training for their special duties as maids are.