SLY LETTER WRITING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12825, 26 July 1912, Page 5

SLY LETTER WRITING.

TO CURLS IN - FACTORIES, v AN ELOPEMENT PLANNE it. to* "Herald.) - " DUNEDIN, this day.

"A Parent" writes to tiie editor ofthe Star: "May I claim your assistance; in suppressing the clandestine correspondence that goes on. Operatives working in factories and other places have their letters addressed to where they work, instead of to their homes. •Quite by chance a mother discovered a letter from a married man to one of her daughters, arranging an elopement, which was frustrated, much to the man's discomfit ure. Employers would be conferring a great favor on parents if they prohibited employees having their letters addressed to the workroom. Then mothers could see who their daughters wjere corresponding with, and wives would not be thus deceived."

Inquiries made by reporters show that in the large manufacturing establishments the correspondence w|th the work girls is pretty extensive. A dozen letters a day would be a low. average for a big place. In some houses the rule is to place the letters in' a rack; for the girls to claim as they go to dinner. In other places ■ an office messenger delivers them personally, just before the mid-day spell. The manager says; "It has always been done, and the letters seem to be increasing in number of late years. Many of the messages are by post . cards, the writing on them silly nonsense, or inviting the girls to make appointments. One of the post cards received a while ago was so disgusting that it was promptly put into the fire, # and did not reach the girl. Apart from the possibility of objectionable messages being sent, I do not approve of the workshop being turned into a mail room, and would be glad to, see the letter writing fined down'. I do not see how we ore to stop it altogether, and without grieving the girls who once in a way get a letter from friends who know no other address." Another manager declared: "It's a dashed nuisance j and if I can do anything to stop it T will." A- third manager said he never heard of any harm being done by these letters, but he reckoned it not a good thing for a business house to be the -medium of profuse and miscellaneous correspondence, most of the silly sort, so far as the post cards were concerned, and he would discourage the practice as much as he could. ■