SERVANT PROBLEM.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13663, 4 August 1908, Page 3

SERVANT PROBLEM.

ITS EFFECT IN AUSTRALIA. RICH PEOPLE TAKING SMALL HOUSES. It is noi' only in New Zealand that the stringency of the domestic labour market is felt. Judging from the impressions of a New Zealand visitor matters are apparently aa' bad in the Australian capi-. tals. Curiously enough the girl has made hei?' inliuence felt upon the property market. This much was learned from' Mr. John Lamb, of Wellington, by a representative of the Post. Mr. Lamb is a, builder and property owner himself, and lie returned from a long visit to Australia last week, his itinerary including four States of lhe Commonwealth, and reaching from Sydney to Western Australian goldfields. He was naturally interested in house property and. laud values. '"'What struck me most in Sydney," said Mr. Lamb, "was the large : number of big. houses—some of tneiri suite mansions, which were in the market, and not only in Sydney, but in Melbourne too." "An exodus of the rich?" was hazarded as a reason. "Oh, no; .not at all," was the reply. "What do you think is the cause of it?" "Well, want of servants. What do.you think of this: a beautiful 14 or 15 roomed house and stable,, standing on an acre block* on a corner, too, at llenwick, went for £l6O0 —a ridiculous price. Again I saw a magnificieut place—l do not know how : many rooms ; beautifully fitted up ; fine grounds and situated at Coogee. The painting and decorations of the house alone cost £2OOO. Sold for £3000; dirt cheap; but what is the good of buying, when such places are difficult to dispose of? The fact is, the domestic servant trouble is so acute, in Sydney and tihe same in Melbourne, that people cannot keep up these houses. They go into smaller places or into what are practically flats. They keep up no style, of course, so they, can save there; but many moneyed people in - Sydney-are living in a quite modest way, unwilling .that tiheir women folk should be slaves to the house. ■ It is not the wages, not the hours that'-'any at, fault; but the general' disinclination of girls to. liake up domestic, work and the generally unsatafciactiory nature of tihe work when! it is done that is causing this remarkable break -'up'; of large -establishments in Sydney."THE SMALL HOUSES. " What about the' houtes. of smaller size?" • " Well, you must know that there is a strong- dislike to'terraces jn Sydney, although terraces > of- are ■ common enough there. I saw some charming little houses, at Rose Bay. They were splendidly fitted up for ""this class of house, built of ■ brick; six rooms and conveniences ;■• land .45ft! tb -50 ft fronta - ?© and I I2sft in depth. They were going for £6OO. -A similar house in wood' wou!d t

Lost £BOO to £OOO in Wellington lheic is something wiong bomewucic Ihe faio to tin. Kuce ]>ay hou&e would be 3d tidin, 2d boat, -Jiigte 1 saw another buck house in the came locality, uiagni Jicently littLd; foul bedioomt,, diawmg loom, "dining loom, kitchen, sculleiy, bath loom, .aig. gi.tied in playhouse in the giounds J his wafa kt at 27s 6d a week, and the pi ice uas £750. 'Hie lilting* of thib houM> wsie exceptionally and there were many conveniences" IX MELBOURMi " What did Jou nee of the house* m MelbjUine aud'&ubuibb'" "Well, Melbourne and all louud it ib undcigomg a lemaikable cliaugc Man} of the hitheito f.it>hionabl« suburbs gone clown in tone, paiticulaily Tooiak and St Kildt Maiy of the line family t,oiu<* of them mansicns, aic now boaidmghous-cs Hcie, again, it appeals, the stnugeucj of the «n ant pioblem us causing &o mam wealth,* jx'ople to leduce then ebt trnVliinenU There is not the '•tyle theie Übod to bi. but the ladies of the house had h"s worry and ltv>s work than had when maintaining a laigc house, and, of course, theie is a gieat ba\mg of c\.pcm,e— but it i - not. for raonctaij reasons that this is being done."

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