DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14985, 4 June 1914, Page 9

DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

THE lONICS COMPANY.

(FItOSI OTIt OWN CORRESPONDENT.* LONDON, April 20

By tho lonic to-morrow a con-rido-"-ablo number of domestic servants will go out to New Zealand undor Government assistance. Mrs Hume-Lindsay will havo chargo, as matron, of twelve of them selected by herself for the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and Miss Dalo has charge of a party from the B.W.E.A.

Interviewed prior to thcr departuro, Mrs Humo-Lindsay told, mo that thoro is really at' p*ro?ent a very great scarcity of domestic servants willing to emigrate, and tho stringency of tho New Zealand Government regulations mako it even greater. "In. my opinion," she says, "any good girl of sound, moral character who is willing to cuter upon domestic work on her arrival, and will sign the declaration that she will continue in servico for ono year is a most valuable asset to New Zealand. Sir John Kirk's chief secretary tells mo that they have ! traiuing homo .in Norwood which will | accommodate about thirty maids, the' committee, including two headmastera and ono headmistress of L.C.C. industrial schools, and .they find it imposaiblo* to keep their number, of girls in training above about eighteen. Mrs Lay ard, * tho ■-chief lady superintendent of tho Victorian and New ,South Wales' Governments, "says that sorvantsYaro so hard to get that ono must fliake a grab for every possible one who applies." -\ Mrs Humo-Lindsay herself, .following up the conversations on the subject sho had in New Zealand in 1910 regarding the emigration of orphans, got into touch' with -many of ' tho principal orphanages of England and Scotland, and not oho of them would part with a singlo jrirl for emigration. This is duo entirely to the huge demand for'domestics in the- Old Country. Tho demand has,, of course, inflated wages. Thero are several girls who are going out with Mrs HumeLindsay in November who are now get. , ting los.' a week, and they aro a_lting. for a guarautce of. 2os or 30s in New Zealand. It is quite evident that .New Zealand employers will havo to contemplate paying much moro than £1 a. week. "Such a thing as a good, well trained general." Mrs Hunie-Lindsay says, "is an obsolete factor in our.life in England. Thero arc a few to be had at the age of about forty $taa~, , but tho present generation does not produce the general at all. This again shows that in future people will have. to bo moro willing to take iwhat material offers."

Since -'lie was in Now Zealand in 1910, Mrs Hume-Lindsay has visited South Australia twice as a Government matron and West Australia once. Whilo in London she has taken the associateship of tho Royal Sanitary Instituto and the. women health visitors' diploma of the same body.