WANTED: MORE GIRLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13648, 16 January 1908, Page 6

WANTED : MORE GIRLS

A FACTORY PROBLEM.

WHAT MANAGERS SAY.

AX ACUTE. POSITION

A problem that is confronting a large number of employers in Auckland, as well as in other parte of the Dominion, at the present time is the scarcity of labour in certain departments of" industry. Tin number of factories in the city and suburbs is continually on the increase, but the supply of boy and girl labour does not appear to be keeping pace with the growth of the demand, the dearth ot girls Ling most marked. •Wanted: More girls!" is the cry of many a perplexed factory manager, who. in spite of making use of all available "overtime," is unable to keep orders supplied owing to being short-handed so far as his female staff—always an important bra-ich of his organisation—is concerned. Advertisements inviting applications from girls willing to take up work in factories have been appearing in the Herald for some days past, but in many cases the greatest difficulty is being experienced in filling the numerous vacancies. A Herald representative, in the course of some inquiries on the subject yesterday, fathered some surprising information as to the acuteness of the position in several large factories in the city. TESTIMONY OF EMPLOYERS. " Yes, we are wanting more girls than we can get," said the head "of one clothing factory. "Girls can earn good wages in our trade, but they appear to be scarce, not only in Auckland but right through New . Zealand. We. have advertised for a large number of girls, but have so far not been able to obtain as many as we require.'' A few minutes' conversation with the manager of another factory revealed a similar condition ot things. We are short-handed in our factories, and have been, for some time, the scarcity being chiefly in regard to girls. I believe that we could place 200 additional hands to-morrow if we had. them." In another case, in which 40 or 50 girls have been wanted, the interviewer was formed that so far the advertisement hud resulted in only three application-. At another factory, which employs from 80 :to 90 hands, the same complaint was made. The experience there is a scarcity of both boys and girls, the girls, as in all other cases, being particularly scarce. "We are continually advertising," said the manager, "but we are nearly always short of our number of girls; and the position in regard to boys is nearly as bad. We pay well, the wages running from 15s to 355, and even as high as £2 a < week, whilst, in some cases, even as much as £2 8s or £2 9s a week has been earned." Generally speaking, it was stated the wages have increased by about 25 per cent, during the last 18 months. A TARIFF SIDE LIGHT. A manager of a boot factory stated that he was sharing the general experience so far as female labour was concerned. " Although the wages are good," he ' said, "we cannot get sufficient girls as machinists. We have, been granted increased protection by the new tariff, but what is the good of that if-we cannot get the labour'to deal with an ; expansion of business? It is becoming a question of whether, we shall be able to take advantage of it at all unless.we import labour." Oil information being sought from another firm a different story was told. There had, it was stated, been a little difficulty in obtaining girls, "but, on the whole, we have managed fairly well. In regard to youths, we have had no difficulty. We advertised for two the other day, and received about a dozen applications in reply." In all oilier cases, however, the dearth of girls was lamented. One sorely-troubled manager spoke of another difficulty—that of keeping some of the young people even when they accepted employment. "We are never sure,' he said, '"when they leave at,night whether they are going to turn up again next morning or not." The girls, it was stated, frequently absented themselves from work for days at a time without notice, and without any particular reason being given. SOME PROBABLE CAUSES. "What is the cause of the scarcity of girls?" was- the question put to several of those who were interviewed. The replies seemed to indicate a consensus of opinion in regard to one or two aspects of the question. Firstly, there is not now such a great inclination on the part of girls to enter factories as formerly existed. Secondly, office occupations provide employment for a much larger number of young girls than was the case a few years ago. They are rinding their way into offices, not only as shorthand writers and typistes, but also as clerks. It is no uncommon experience nowadays to go into an office in Auckland and find two or three, or even more, desks in charge of girls or young women. . Amongst a large section of the rising female generation there seems to be a disposition to regard factory work as less fashionable than office employment. An impression seems to be gaining ground that factory work is infra dig., and the old story of the domestic service problem is being in some 'measure repeated. The interviewer was informed by one manager that the wages which can be earned in factories are as good, generally speaking, as those obtainable in offices, bub that office work has' more" tone," and consequently is more sought after. " . The increasing prosperity of the Dominion was also cited as having a probable bearing on the position. Parents are now in a better position to keep their girls at home than formerly, and thus fewer of the female members of a household have to earn their own livelihood. THE PROPOSED REMEDY. „ As to a solution of the problem, tlj only remedy that could be suggested was immigration. , This is now being resorted to as a means of meeting the scarcity of domestic servants in certain parts of New. Zealand, and one of the factory managers interviewed said he thought that' a similar remedy might be adopted- in regard to meeting the wants of factories. He thought that if people at Home . were " acquainted with the' condition of affairs, a large number of families would be glad to emigrate .with their children' to New Zealand. " I daresay," he added, " that if a thousand girls came out to this country to-mor-row they would all find work. lam certain that 500 could be placed in Auckland right away. There .are a large number of girls working at Home for a mere pittance, who would be glad to come to New Zealand and earn good wages, if they were afforded the opportunity of doing so."