MERELY MARY ANN!

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7870, 4 August 1911, Page 1

MERELY MARY ANN!

CONDITIONS DESCRIBED

MOVEMENT FOR A DOMESTIC SERVANTS' UNION.

SPECIAL TO TITK “TIMES." AUCKLAND. August 3,

A mfctin" w:is lickl last evening for the onrnnso of fonniuß a rtoincHlic serVl lilts’ union, and was attended by a fair number of Kirin. 31 r If. k. Horning, president of the Kmrdo.vei’s’ VederaHon, said that there were hundreds of Kiris willing who could not, net work. In view of this it was eousidered that there must be sornothiru; wroiu; with the coiulitious of work or the rate of nay, and the trades union's opinion was that the remedy lay ill bettering the conditions of work, hours etc. HARD-WORKED SERVANTS. Mrs Emily Xicol, who has been investigating the conditions of employment, said she bad been to one place where a breakfast for twelve had lo be got really by 7 a.in., in addition to which the servant" had to perform all I lie attendant: work. Tile hours of work were from (1 a.m, to K pan., and all lor Ids Gd j to las ner week. The food sutiplied to 1 servants was beyond description. On I occasions butter of the worst class was bought for the maids, and instead of fresh milk they bad to be content with skim. Also, the furnishing supplied to the retiring rooms of the keepers of the domestic hearths was not. what it should be. The bedsteads were decrepit and tottering: there were no wardrobes ami no toilet requisites: the rooms were small and. insanitary, mid there was insufficient lied covering. sT.vmrKvrs endorsed. Several employees endorsed the previous sneaker s remarks in reference to } tb bad'eouditions under which servant ' girls laboured, and one pointed to tho j extraordinary work that was piled on to I tlie girls in the country, where, in addi- | tiuu to housework, they bad to do milk- t iug, butterraaking, etc., and were denied j the privilege of a half-holiday. :

“Have you over tried to wash the punts of a*farm labourer?*' wap her final question, which also formed a conclusive argument as to the work performed by the girts. It /was decided to fo/m a union, and os the Conciliation and Arbitration Act at present does not apply to domestic workers, it was agreed that a strong movement should be made this session to have an amendment passed to the Act,