UNEMPLOYED WOMEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19389, 26 July 1926, Page 6

UNEMPLOYED WOMEN.

Sir,—May I offer a suggestion regarding the registration of unemployed women and girls that I found helpful when .carried out in Scotland. There is in Edinburgh a Labour Exchange for female labour, Every morning women and girls arrive there and take their turns in going out to positions. Mistresses ring up the exchange and a woman can be got for any number of hours at 9d per hour. If this scheme could be arranged in Auckland I feel sure numbers of .mistresses wouldn't hesitate to have help several hours each day. Housewife.

Sir, —Our experience has been the same as that of your correspondent " Vicar." On two separate occasions recently, one within the last fortnight, we have'advertised for domestic help, and on each occasion have received one answer. Children were not mentioned, but judging from the advertisements in the neighbouring column of " Situations Wanted," we stood a poor chance, for " adult families " seemed to be largely in requst, and only once in a while were we cheered by " children not objected to." In Thursday's Herald you mention the case of a hard-working man—Mr. Taylor, of Ngahauranga—and the difficulty he is having to obtain shelter for his large young family. Large families are evidently not in favour when it*comes to actual fact, though in the abstract the cry of " Keep the cradles full " sounds very nobly patriotic. Doctor.

Sir, —The outcry against the immigration of domestics from Home into the Dominion seems somewhat illogical judging from the accounts given to the public recently. Those in authority say that while they have a large number of unemployed women seeking work, these women are not suitable for domestic service. We understand that means they cannot cook or undertake ordinary housework. The same authorities tell us that the demand for domestic service continues, and there is plenty of work for those who take it up. At the Unemployment Bureau I understand they receive applications for more domestic help than they can supply. If such is the case, how can it be that the immigration of domestic help, which they acknowledge cannot be fully supplied here, will affect those unemployed women who are not themselves capable of taking domestic work ? You might as well say " We want ploughmen, but there are hundreds of men unemployed. They cannot plough, but nevertheless we will not admit any man who can, lest he get a job." It has also been a cause of complaint in some quarters that those out of work are New Zealanders (i.e., we presume, bred, if not born, out here), and that none of the " new chums" are without employment. But if the unemployed women cannot, or will not, do domestic work, why keep out those who will ? It is surely rather a dog-in-the-manger attitude. "We cannot tako the job ourselves, therefore no one else shall have it." Surely it is all to the gain of the Dominion that those girls from Home, strong and capable, not fearing work, and with no false pride to prevent their realising the value of good domestic service, should come here to settle, and in very many cases ultimately to marry and become part of the Dominion itself. Incidentally, do those who make the assertions I have mentioned realise how they are reflecting on our New Zealand women and girls when they say that the immigrant girls are not out of work ? According to that statement these British girls can take and keep jobs, where our women cannot hold them. Furthermore, I personally find it very hard to credit the fact that out here, where we pride ourselves on our domesticated women, there should be so many women who cannot do domestic work. I ask for fair play all round, fair play for our sisters from overseas, and fair play for our sisters here. There are always some unemployables, female as well as male, but that is no reason why in trying to help them we should decry ourselves, or those who come from Home to settle among us, especially let us not lack in hospitality to the latter. Mater,