DOMINION LADY CLERKS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 669, 20 November 1909, Page 10

DOMINION LADY CLERKS.

V'--:i : -.THB. : RACE TO THE SWIFTEST^!■.;"' -i. ...;; (By Teleßr'apb.-Bpcciai 'Correspondent!). '■' •..''•■.',■' .. ■■,Chr|stchUrth J November I 9; .In. view .of ;thp. proposal,, to 'establish a Clerk s Union, from which no'ineri; clerks .would be excluded, , a "Press" reporter called upon a number of women.clerks; to : . obtain their opinions, lipqn...the; inatter.". A '.' surprising fact dis; ceyered during' tho,;investigations' was the growing extent to., which 'female- office assistance, is. utilised by employers.' In several instances, in tho city,"women are holding highly, responsible and well-paid: clerical, positions,' one .lady, indeed .occupying the'post of; secro- ; tary to a l _largp concern, and;having'a , .number of subordinatesi in her charge. -There is a tendency, to engage vromen. for .work quite'"apart from shorthand and typewriting,;; and more particularly in.book-keeping, : .: ;, ; < .•■■-.;.. The first, lady called upon ■ was making- up the bank pay,, amounting to .several, hundreds of pounds. She had, ;sho,said,-graduated in ■an'office where she/had practically everything to. do—taking; letters, -keepini;- the bookstand attending :to.clients.:-.For .the work' bhe , received 2Js.:a week.. Her presient'position • en> tailed , less' thtro.;halfHho■labour,' and hor-eal-»ri-"^-'^^^er,>l,JrV6'*atei!.:.'-A:'.'.inatf.an'd.ia gir|,. l werQ,-atiprcsent'ji)nployo,d.doing. l her' for*. W?fe^S?ti;"antt.-#he.,didwnot:see why the-'mei' shoulA.ijqt,,ad.mit,ATOineiy to?.thciri)nnion-i", She" felt, r that;,.oven,ion'--,a;;basls 6f : .«qual pay for equal .work, employers,having'.women, in their oliices would not, in many cases, supersede them/by men. "Why;■.(shouldn't.we-be recognised?.", she.' asked.... "Girls don't> go out to work-just: for .fun. Men.say'.that they have responsibilities-in. helping . to;,keep up : the homes, but /outside.,pf'.tfie,''..married,, men. : (1/ qnite^'agree 'that'"they' should';be given the" very ■_ resptihsible positipns; 1 , ,nnd ; ■'-. they : should not^^got; married!-. tiU4iwy(do),)."ffifls:havo.gdf .just as.inany,claims;on-them, -I know.6Carcely' any. girl^.m- '.a,wjiot -helping- , , athome." of .them 'help more i than : because _thoY.' have'.'to'. maki'.lp'j-'fbr'.the'' .'wast-' ere, -and. the boys who •go 'awAr from ;hom«' Some; girls i are ..pradtically; keeping^'their, par,ents, and I think a;girl can keep her mouth shut about business as .well: as-a-man. -At any rate,.ehe:doesn't .get. intosioated"'•'and :■ talk about thing*; ■ and I think .'girle who want -to got'on;stick.' to:;thcir work better.": They ara : more/Tcliable;■'. and ; trustworthy,; •; and : theyhaven't kot the "sahie temptation as men. Of course,T.think' so, because 1 am a girl."' ; .; ; ■-Another young";ladj:" : doplore<l'"the : wano ? df ichivairy , 'and , .manners and-.thoughtfrilness of !the , to-diy. ; -'Sho feared '.that■the typiS of ; Maiuio6d'waS. v (ieg'enefatiii'g mentally' ianfl; -'phy9idally;'-" : H >i "'To6'. inan'y late'horirs,--!, think,""sKe -added, 1 ' v?i'tl£'"'a sage;'-shake '■ of a''shapely, head;. : ''lf 'mon'-'ean't ■'■ hijld: their own' with women,.that is thoirifaultj-but ito don't woait to' go into, iheiri.union. We , should ■ form ono'of.our owni it .TOuld.be,-better for us if. wo did., because; then -. w.e could- have .the wages ,and\.hours' fixed,- and make sure that only tho, competent, girls,,were, employed/. ■ A lot of tho trouble about; low wages is caused. by girls whojse ] pcoplo are in ■good, positions, but , who want , to como tb town; 'and.carn α-littlo, extra ..pocket, money,/.and, jea ;they take posi,tiona jot ten shillings..-a .week or,.anything.' Some of them; want to be !whore thore aro men. V have heard -that '■'■ it -doesn't cost 'aa much, to- live as ji»n.''. , .That ie.quito- wrong.' A-.;.girl's, board .costs : nearly! l - as,-'much .: as a. man's, and;, her '.clothing costs; a great : deal more.; There are.gloves, and hats,-.and frocks. A' mam,can g<v out -in His , same «ld hat and tho_.samo 'old. , suit ffor a .year, -.and nobody .notices it.;. A -girl: can't do /that.'t Of- course, a man ' must -have .'inonoy •. for v tobacco •'■ and.' drinks,,but..thoso^are,luxuries; in- the sainfe. position would like lururiea' that wonld run'-away- with; jriet: as much •■■ nionisy, but she ton t?ailord- : it,-and "does'without: them." ,'I think.women-are.ientitlci.to-.be employed in'- : offices', ; andj' if they' arq < nsked- to: compete fot ' cquail pay. with.,mon,; they would.still be kept, butoercain positions'should' , bo. given to men, biicanso women, catft stand'the strain 60 well. Other ladies'welcomed the'idea of subDiitting , to the itcst. of- equal pay_, ioi' equal Iwork' wHa the men,. and .ivere satisfied•-. thatii- only tho really inoompetent. girls w.ould; have to go- if that wero done.'.''.'•'lt was', confidently olainied that, with equal eipcrionto, tho-general-run 'of lady olerke itere.mcro accorato : with.figures than men,' simply because:. they' yrcre ! more painstaking, and .had. notVso many distraetione as the .sterner sax, '-,..■ ■■■.-:. : .■;,:•.:/.■ . Positions;in oifices are . very popular with ladies, and all'.of thoso.'.eeen 'wero most.'em.' -photio , in declaring'. that .they, would- soonet •work for.men than for 'womcn.v- lion wore moro' 'just, :.mo» business-like,', and more open \- than;. women, i The idea, '.of- ex- : eluding; women! from the union about to be ■ form-id , was 1 warmly reseated, and is likely. -to rtpult ■ in : . tho '.lady -'clerks • taking ■ stops: io" con-' 6crye their interests by means of, a union af; own.. ■''■-'.. 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