“JILL OF ALL TRADES.”

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18702, 7 May 1924, Page 14

“JILL OF ALL TRADES.”

♦ TV '.'.V - ' .""J*- ''VS " : f - f iy ;Miss Gladys Pott, the.' only woman '. member 'of the 1 - Colonial • Office' Mission which has just investigated overseas settlement * conditions in. Australia and ; New Zealand, ; gave ,an interesting account, on I returning to England, of her travels and ; Of the:, conditions of. life in the two new J countries to which so many British women are migrating. - • ; : : v ,i;S&'-fe iv •"I asked," she: said, "for ;an opportun- i ity of meeting . girls, who -have' gone out / from Britain in , all the : cities and, towns that I. Visited, and I generally saw from !j two to four hundred ciriSthe big , centres,: ': and 'others in the country. I f found the vast majority of them.well contented with 1 their lot. ; . : V."? . " They had difficulties, :• of course- i'< girls always have,; going from an old ! to a new country there were compensations, which , made up for that; ; ; greater freedom, better climatic conditions, - and 'I higher wages. < ' 1 ; "I am strongly against : allowing any ! girls to go out to the Dominions merely , for the sake of finding * husbands there. A girl ' who . goes out with that idea is not ' the type of mind Australia and New.Zealand wants. On ;the other; hand,:• if she ' goes out with the intention of making her work, the ' first consideration, , she will get . plenty !of ; opportunities of marrying,';. 5 because, for one £ thing, Australia I has ; 'riot two ; million more women than; men,- as we have-here. .4 ■ ' - "A girl who goes in : for domestic work ; must be [able to turn her hand (to any-, ( thing, and be ;something of a'Jack of . all;• ' trades. • Although thev staff :is smaller; in I an Australian 1 household, '!' the ; v cIaPS; of work is ; simpler^.'arid'there is riot; - the - vast amount; of, detailed 1 domestic duties that falls •. on a girl 'in ) England. - Consequently^; she ; has - more leisure arid, r better chance. of recreation. . V-f ( "The Dominions are . countries j for the individual. Self-reliant girls :. have - opportunity of, :' climbing the ladder in a : much "shorter time J than ; they have here. Any type .of trained • woman will get on in Australia who is not afraid of . doing' domestic, work and; keeping , herself ' while finding her niche. . - ; There }. are, ■of course,. , good •. and - bad ■ mijitrnsses in the Dominions, «as tiers<■ arc here, but ; :; : I found on the whole that | girtWiare not so prejudiced S. socially;'-, by ;fe entering "domestic service in the Do- . mmiou ag. they ue her*".