DAY BY DAY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LXIV, Issue 11265, 5 February 1912, Page 4

DAY BY DAY.

The Housewife's Problem. "It is quite time some practical attempt was made to solve the domestic servant problem," said Mrs M. Stewart Barnet, to a representative of the Sydney Morning Herald, on her return to Sydney from a tour of Europe. "It is almost an impossibility for people to get servants in Australia, yet there aro numbers of girls in England willing to como out here were it not for the difficulty of finding the money to pay the passage. When in Ireland I met several girls fitted in every way to make admirable servants, who were anxious to come to Sydney, but out of their meagre wages they could not save sufficient money to pay the passage. This difficulty is easily understood when I tell you that the girls in question were only receiving a month. The high wages ruling in New South Wales for domestic workers is a great attraction to tho girls in the Homeland, but the almost hopeless impossibility of being able to save tho necessary £(» or £7 for the passage, out of a weekly wage of 3s, stands in the way of Australia receiving a steady influx of servants. It was my intention to bring two girls out to Sydney with me, through tho agency of the London Immigration but I was not allowed to do so. The restrictions placed in the way of engaging servants in England to bring them out to Sj'dnej' are absurd. The difficulties one has to face are iusnrmountable, or, at least, I found them so. Servants in England earn about £17 a year, so there should be no lack ot applicants for positions in Australia at double or three times that wage, if reasonable facilities were made to encouiage employers to engage them, and gbriug them out to this country."

Lord Kitchener

Kitchener's ability in disguising himself has given rise to many stories, true and otherwise, of this famous soldier. The following incident was told by one who served with tho Essex Regiment in a campaign against the Dervishes:— :"I was acting-corporal of the guard over a large number of 'gentlemen of tho desert' whom we had taken prisoners. In tho course of my rounds a captive within the tent drew my attontion, and 1 was surprised to hear in good English the request, 'Corporal, I wish to got out of this.' I, of course, reported the occurrence to the sergeant of the guard, only to be mot with the rcpl.y, 'Let the fool stay where he js.' I continued my rounds, and was again met with tho request. Again I reported the matter, and this time tho reply was as curt, but a bit stronger, so 1 went on my rounds again. As I passed the spot this time tho voice from within said, 'Say, corporal, you are of the Essex Regiment'? 1 answered that I was, and tne prisoner said, 'Well, tell Mr B. that I want to speak to him.' 'What name':" I queried. 'Kitchener,' came tho reply, and I at once reported accordingly to the sergeant. Ho immediately rnado for the prisoners' quarters, and I shall novor forget that meeting. Tho dishevelled 'dervish' was in reality the Lord Kitchener that was to be, who had been out spying among the enemy, and had appareuntly boon taken prisoner by his own troops."