A DASHED NUISANCE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8184, 27 July 1912, Page 2

A DASHED NUISANCE

ELOPEMENTS BY POST. METHODS OF MALE CREATURES. DUNEDIN, July 20. “A Parent” writes to the editor of the “Star”; “May 1 claim your assistance in suppressing clandestine correspondence that goes on. Operatives working in factories and other place have tneir letters addressed to whore they work, instead of to their homes. Quito by chance a mother discovered a letter from a married man to one of her daughters, ar.inging an elopement, winch was frustrated, much to the mail's disiqmfiture. Employers would be conferring a great favour on parents if they prohibited employees having their letters addressed to the workroom. Then mothers could see who their daughters were corresponding with, and wives would not he thus deceived.”

Inquiries made by reporters show that in the largo manufacturing establishments the correspondence with tho work girls in pretty extensive. A dozen letters a day would ho a low average for a big place. In some houses tho rule is to place the letters on a rack for the girls to claim as they go to dinner; in other places, an office messenger delivers them personally just before the midday spell. One manager says: “It lias always been done, and the letters seem to he increasing in number of late years. Many of the messages are by postcards; the writing on them silly nonsense, or inviting the girls to make appointments. One of tho postcards received a while ago was so disgusting that it was promptly put in the fire and it did not roach the girl. Apart from the possibility of objectionable messages being sent, I do not approve of the workshop being turned into a mailroom, and would be glad to so© the letter writing fined down. I do not see how wo are to stop it altogether without grieving the girls, who once in a way get letters from friends who know no other address.”

Another manager declared: “It’s a dashed nuisance, and if I can do anything to stop it I wili.” A third manager said he never heard of any harm being done by theso letters, but ho reckoned it was not a good thing for a business house to he the medium of profuse and miscellaneous correspondence, most of the silly sort, so far as the postcards were concerned, and he would discourage the practice as much as he could.