"SLIPPED UP."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8994, 3 December 1907, Page 5

"SLIPPED UP."

MISTRESS AND MAID.

SERVANT GIRL PROBLEM. J!Y Ti'.l.K/nfAPII —PKKS3 ASSOCIATION". CHRISTCHURCH, December 2. A fresh development of the domestic servant problem was initiated in the court to-day, when Mrs Georgina 'Maud sued Miss F. Bauden, a domes- , tic servant, who did not appear, for 12s damages for breach of contract. The claim set out that an agreement was entered into on August 28th between plaintiff and defendant < whereby the latter was to enter the ' former's service as a housemaid at 12s per week. Defendant failed to carry-out the agreement, and plaintiff claimed one week's wages as damages. The evidence was that defendant did not put in an appearance and had taken service elsewhere. She was spoken to over the telephone, and told to either fulfil the engagement or forfeit a week's wages. Defendant agreed to pay the amount sued for His Worship said that the case was rather out of the ordinary. If every mistress who had been "slipped up" by a servant brought such cases the court would have its hands full. He had himself engaged two servants in one week and both failed to enter his .employ. He asked the plaintiff's counsel why the proceedings were brought, and the reply was that it was done as an example to domestic servants generally to show them that they could not with (impunity disregard engagements. The money, if judgment was for plaintiff, would be lvitided over to Nurse Maude's work. His Worship said the faction was perfectly justifiable. People were put to great inconvenience through servants failing to keep engagements, and some check was necessary. He blamed the registry offices for giving servants a list u'i five or six people wanting servant girls. They went round to those referred to selecting a position that suited them best. As defendant did not appear, there was presumably no defence. Judgment was entered for the amount claimed, with 13s costs.

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