THE-HARASSED MOTHER.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 876, 23 July 1910, Page 11

THE-HARASSED MOTHER.

. - (TO THE EDITOB.I Sir, —1 should bb glad if you could find' space for a tew remarks on the subject of the harassed mother. I think the remedy lies to a great extent in, •. the : country itself, 'i'oo many girls go into' offices, when they can- , not bo.' spared from their own nomes. Tiio general cry amongsl- them is that they ■do not lite housework and they go out quite regardless of leaying their tired inotlici !o bivttli! with the work and littlu children as boil she may. Married litV in 'Now Zealand is\ in many cases absolute slavery, toil—toil from ono day's end to the other. 'Surely the 'Government would' do better in not encouraging the'girls in their publie offices. ■ Tliero will be, and is a still more serious cry, that the girls are underselling the labour of the men, and what will be tho end of tiiac —no marriages at' all. At the present timo nearly all office work is done by girls at a far lower rate than a> man could afford to take. I do not thiulc that tho immigration of girls will benefit much, for, I think with others, those that are brought into the country" are either of indifferent health or indifferent capacity. With regard to help being brought within tho reach of iiose with an income of £150 or £200,' it is impossible with rent and wages at their prosont rate. The only may that I nan. see would be to have a- national housewifery institution, where those girls who did not care to work in their own homes could bo trained and sent out to do tho various branches of domestic service at so much a day or so much an hour. That would bring a certain, amount of help within tho reach of most. The time is drawing near when something will have to ho done or the birth-rate will steadily decrease. —I am, etc ,' . : -worry.