GIRLS FOR COUNTRY HOMESTEADS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 415, 26 January 1909, Page 3

GIRLS FOR COUNTRY HOMESTEADS.

V DEPUTATION TO THE HON. G. FOWLDS. ' . tBT TWiBOBIVH—IM<ICSB ASSOCIATION ) Chrlstohuroh, January 25. A deputation from tho Canterbury Sheepowners') Union, consisting of Messrs. Walter M'Farlane,' D. D. 'M'Farlane, Wilfrid Hall,, and I'.- H. Labatt (secretary) waited on; the Hon. G. vFowlds thii,morning in regard !to the shortage iof female domestic servants. --. Mr. ' Walter M'Farlane. said that for- years past there 'had ..been a great. shortage,vncit of domestic ; servants,.- but of female labour of' all classes. . Instead, of the position improving, .it:lhsfd become ;more unsatisfactory, every ■ year,' A sufficient 'number of women', "although; there . were plenty. of; men,; was: not coming' to Vthe, Dpminion. ' The. matter - was one v/isich afrccted ■ all classes '.of the. community, and more , especially; thoso in the country • districts. ■ Girls had , a great ohjection: to • going'out into the backblocks, and tho ciiies ' wero not nearly so , badly . off. According to the census returns, there was a . preponderance of 5-1,000 males, over • females in New Zealand; .'ln/,Britain, femalos preponderated; to the.number of one ;and a' quarter: million. - From that it would'appear, as though: they, should" be able to'draw upon' Britain for- domestics. / The • speaker.;' had heard of a factory whose -machinery. :was •standing idle on account of the dearth ; - of female labour. : . ... '•-. . How tho. Covomment Might Help. ' The Minister: Havo you any..special plan whereby the . shortage can be overcome r' ' Mr. M'Farlane' replied that the. Govern-, ment was: helping: in a small way, but it could assist more by sending ail . emigration agent. .to' Britain.,; Many of the immigrants corning here twere . not ; :of a suitable . class, and should; be /sent' back. ' Even waifs ana strays'' came out. If an agent 1 went : ' Home ; he, could ; select suitable girls, from -the country,; districts. Tho employers would have to do their, sharo by ■ advancingthe 'passage money if they could, secure tho right class ■of; labour. . The agent should travel- through' .Britain) and possibly through, parts .or the Continent as well, aiid a depot should be provided here. to keep the girls until'.they were ,'serit ; to" their i destination; ; -The main thing was .to; get tie,suitable- kind of persons to come-out. . Mr. D. D. M'Farlane said the female labour were only ablo to supply a third <jf 'the demand.'' Many people did 'not make ; appljcationyfor .servants beoause ithey knew it;wa's''hopeless.' -Many.ladies an tho country had got" into'"a'.perfectly hopeless state," and were- enduring a' condition of white' slavery. Their, constitutioiis were, ruined,■ ; andi. not f<jare to add to their domestic responsibilities. As a j 'result, tho birth-rato was •diminishing instead of. increasing.' In. tho towns there was some hope, but in tho country there rich, people were, not affected' so much. 'It 'was tho' class that could only enlploy ono servant and could not' afford .to pay high wages'. -; The ladies or Hawko's l Bay had brought'out girls l at their, own expense,- .but in some respects this system was :not satisfactory, as after the'employers had gono to all the espenso of bringing domestics: out, : ' they 'left. and went. to .somebody, "else.V-.' ./The'; Sheepowners'■ Union' thought' of doing something like that-, but' did not caro to overlap upon - tho' Government's organisation.?jThey;recognised.that i .'the,Go ; vr' ernment had done some good at . Home,' biit .it had not gono far enough. Tho present tests imposed at Home (certificates 'from:a clergyman and a'doctor), were not r sufficieiit; Means should bo taken to see that tho girls were capable of' doing what they said! they could do. AnV agent sent Homo by -.the, Government-would see' .-that . only .capable girls -were sent-out.-. Swedish,- German,'; and.'French girls'inight also : be secured. .Thematter -.was one'that affected .the settlement of' ; tho land.Women, as;: well', as 'men,; were' necessary to make; settlement.; satisfac--tory- If a man could' not get a -wife there was no inducement for him'-to/go -away-.from' the town. .:x:.' V--; The Minister's Reply. The-.-Minister said .no doubt there was • a large unsatisfied demind for female'domestics in New : Zealand, and • tho Government, in as anxiou'S'to assist in' any reasonable way. The class they had been getting i.was'fully/ satisfactory, .but the trouble' was that' it was" not sufficiently numerous.:'.- One great .difficulty-in, sending an -agent■' Home to engage tabour .was • the - 'liability -it: cast upon tho Government to provide employment for -those 'who came. ;, For; that reason he would like to see an- .extension'; of ' the,- Hawke's Bay-' system, -whereby:.girls -were selected;, and sent .out by the'Britisn Emigration Association/ This body, had better/means' for . getting into touch, with' the .right "class 'than any organisation 'of - the High. Commissioner. 1 The- diffi- ■ culty: of; girls' not staying iii their situations was ono ' that.; everybody; had ! to ■ face. Most,,: countries... set-, their face ,- 'against' contract; labour."' He was' fully conscious of :the need'.:for ; "getting a- larger . number • of Vomert to .coirie out, and. also for .getting .the best: class selected.' . He would have; the; mat-; ter very carefully considered,; and see what could bQi done. He was not sanguine as: to the. appointment of- an i agent -to 'go Home: However,; they must, remember also that the dearth of domestics wps ; ;being;.felt at Home' as well. ' He would be pleased to co-operate' 'with the body tho deputation.;represented'.'in any reasonable way, and if there was any proposal U> form an association on the Hawke's Bay lines, he would bo glad' to extend the samo facilities t? it. Mr. -Walter M'Farlane said that as from 2000'.t0 '3000 ' domestics - could' be placed immediately, ',he did not' see that -the 'Govern-; ment/.would incur,: any - liability in appointing an agent and;'getting .the .girls selected and sent out.-. :■ v- : i'-v'

•7,Tho! Minister/promised to..confer'with the 'Minister'.'fbr.-'/Labour',: with the idea,' if'pbs-' sibley.of Terolying some satisfactory scheme -to overcome :,the, difficulty.': . 7 ■'-.' ••■■;'•'•'...'. '■■:,

THE PRESENT SYSTEM,

A USEFUL AGENCY

..-;., Among /-the-.assisted: immigrants who .cometo .New -.Zealand., by ".nearly ..every,. English steamer there-.are..always some described as "domestic servants':". '.. The trouble.::is. that there.are never: nearly enough, and a, large, proportion, of those :Who come, according to report; ; .are . : quite.: misleadingly : ; described. Generally , their .hopes soar high- above do-' mestio''servitude,. and. if for a time, they - fall so; low they;;; -are ~'certainly: snot: domestic '.'helps.''.-.:: In '■. 'reply, to' inquiries made'.'' in' authoritative.-. quarters.: yesterday,; "it■ : was stated- that good girl servants in -anything' like' sufficient, number cannot be had;."for love 'nor : money."..; ■ If Jt is difficult-. to' get" 'them for: the. towns,; it .is' practically "im--ppssible.forthe 'country.:: Theman^whowants, to' import aii 'English servant can. deposit,; with-tHevlmmigration Officer'(Mr. A.! A.'.0.Danby) the sum. of. £10,^representing her, steamer-fare, less the amount of the State's subsidy.,. The girls are sent "out from Erig-; land by the High Commissioner. .•; They' are required;tb:.submit/evidence that:,they-' have been in domestic service before, - and are of good 'character. Then ; - the 'master, to; whom a girl is booked will usually arrange for -her to pay back the amount of her passage money" by weekly' instalments, and so eager has the demand fori girls.. become that: the refund is. very : often worked .in- this way: If the: girl has agreed to work for 15s.'.'.a' week '.her employer.agrees l to .give her. 205.,' of- which she repays 55,, till - she has' '.made' good the £10 primarily, advanced. By.that time the girl will probably have "got engaged" in another sense, disappointing ; to her employer, .... A Promising; Agenoy. •",. It has been suggested that a woman on the High Commissioner's staff would probably be able to select domestic servants suitable for.New Zealand so as to give .more satisfaction 'than ;is afforded by the present system.' There; is',] however, an alternative agency, which seems to be doing good work. The girls sent out to the Napier: Ladies'

Syndicate hare generally .•been chosen by the British Women's" Emigration -Association, ai body which has the Queen as patroness, and many of tho lending women of England among its vice-patronesses and' council.; Tho association, according to its annual report, is established to promote protected emigration, duo regard being had'to tho interests both of ,the and of the countries to which The association pledges itself:— ''•■■..• " (1) To emigrate only such women and girls as are. of good character and capacity. "(2) fo select only such men and families as are suitable to tho requirements of each colony. . . ..-....__. .■_■•- "(3) To secure for them proper protection on; the voyage, and adequate reception on arrival. ■ '■■ . . ■ . -.'- • i"( 4). If possible, not to lose sight of-them for a year or two. after' their emigration." ':■ "(5). To raise a loan fund for necessitous cases,;repayment being secured on detained wagesi". ~ '■ ■:•' '1n'1906 the association sent out 50 girls to' New Zealand, arid in 1907, it sent 53. The. numbers sent to Canada for tho two years were. 677: and 825. A journal'of the association, published last September, has, the 'following; reference to' New Zealand:—. :■-•;'/-./ :'/7/ An Attractive Offer. '//.//: ."A/strong .wave/is;, setting in in' favour, of/this. very English part of the Empire. It is-important'that women facing a sis weeks' yoy'ago, and wishing to go cheaply,'should join .-pur .special party, on s.s. Arawa, sailing October 15,' under Miss Black. Thirty domes-' tic servants can have. the reduced passage money'; advanced. It has to be repaid to the employer, but the very high wages earned in New: Zealand soon supply, the £10. .'These S arsons remain in the ~ neighbourhood: of apier, which contains a great number of : English people. ;A deposit of £2 is required; which'is returned as landing money Other women going for domestic employment can have; passages at £12, £2 of, which is ' returned oh; arrival, and those going to their relatives > or for; business purposes can join our party, and share our quarters at £17; £19, or £21. : Introductions can be'given'■ to our correspondents: in all the ports. There will be no'other special party till the spring/ but we can send out individuals at other times. . Nursery governesses and home'. helps cahhave inquiries made for them f there are occasional openings'. The life is simple, arid the climate beautiful.".; ,_'■.".' :;.l''j"iV '-;- ;■ !; A : ;Siiggestloh. ; //-•■': ••'■•>■ '•-. ■/. It is; suggested'that, instead of sending; an. agent -to, the. United. Kingdom to select' suit-' able domestic sorvants;for the Dominion, the Government -might conclude some arrangement _with> the" British Women's Emigration Association, .which is already on the spot/ and 1 seems well ...fitted- to do; the. work. It is stated that the' girls .-hitherto 'sent out" by the association., have/been, of "a very /good stamp..': "' ; -'; ■'; ; : ''' ; .. '■'■■'-.'"/'. y .'•''*.•';'