THE LAND OF PROMISE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1378, 2 March 1912, Page 11

THE LAND OF PROMISE.

IS IT A MIRAGE? In an interesting article on "The British Woman in Canada" in tho January issue of "United Emoiro"—tho journal of tho Royal Colonial Institute—Currio Love tolls of tho attractive conditions of women workers in Canada. "In these twentieth century days," the writer says, "women are emulating men in every department of life, not only in business and in professions, but in the movement towards emigration. In.the old lauds women aro'not given tho positions of trust, or the salaries that they receive in a new country such ns Canada. Opportunities in Western Canada, tho great expanse of country just becoming known to the world, are most plentiful. There the woman who earns her own living is neither regarded with suspicion, nor ostracised from society, but is welcomed to a place in the working world. "So many British women are recognising this fact that Canadians havo found tho problem of looking after these women who coino to tho country to seek positions a really serious one. It has been largely solved, however, by the' establishment of a chain of 'women's welcome hostels,' which stretch across Canada from const to coast, and which aro operated in connection with the British Women's Emigration Association, who send out a party of women from Great Britain every month in tho year from March to November. "At each stopping-point tho party is met at the station by the matron of the hostel in that town, and they are looked after by her until thev secure positious. The hostels are absolutely self-supporting, and are in no sense of tho word a charity, ' though they might bo called part of a benevolent organisation; and they aTe alwavs iu charge of a committee of promine'nt women, who form a board _of directors to decide all matters of importance.

A Home in a Strange Land. "In Calgary, Alberta, the bustling western city in which so many British women elect to settle, the only purpose for which subscriptions aro taken is the payment of tho debt on the building, which was bought bv the board of directors. Running expenses are met entirely by the payment if Jf.es from the girls boarding there. The one desire of the directors is to give tho old country girls a., homo in a strnngn land, and to provide them with shelter and protection at the lowest possible rates compatible with tho support of tho house. Tho girls aro kept 24 hours I'reo of charge, and are then charged 20s. a week for board and room. Girls who have secured positions and who are'rooming outside tho hojlel are charged 16s. a week for three meals a day, and if they prefer to take meals singly they aro charged Bd. for breakfast or suppor, and Is. for dinner, Which they have in the middle of the day. "The meals are plain, but wholesome. Simplo, good food, and plenty of it, is the motto. For breakfast they aro given por-

Englishwoman of a corresponding income, ana she is willing to pay a great deal more for her frocks and lints. Visiting dressmakers receive from eight to ten shillings a day and meals. A plaintailored blouse made at homo will cost six shillings for making alone; a blousedress at least twenty shillings. An exceptionally smart dressmaker who ha 9 acquired a reputation, will charge from threo to fivo pounds for making a frock. This will not iticlwlo material, trimmings, or even thread, hooks and eyes, or buttons. Von will find these all iteniised on your bill as 'findings/ You fail to understand the term when they are not found, but so it is called. A ready-tj-wear hat, just for knocking about, will cost two pounds; a dress lint, with feathers, from six pounds up.

Fortunes for Charwomen, "Coming down to the charwomen, 3110 will get eight shillings a day, her meals, and her car fare. Jf she works by the hour sho gets a shilling tho hour. If sho takes your laundry home she will charge 2s. fid. tho dozen for plain articles, a shilling the dozen for handkerchiefs, lOd. or a shilling for a blouse, and other charges proportionately high. One •English charwoman I know- in Calgary sold her little homo for .£2OOO cash last summer, and went to tho mountains for her summer holidays. Sho had paid .£l2O for it seven years before, so sho realised a big percentage on her investment. "She was tho typo of woman who succeeds iu the colonics. She had washed, scrubbed, nursed, and kept prize ponltiy. Sho had niado twelve shillings a dozen for eggs, and twenty shillings each for birds, besides prizes she had taken. How sho made enough time to do all these things 110 person knew, but in seven vears she had enough money to retire, and live fairly comfortably for tho rest of her life. "Women gardeners who uuderstand the growing of flowers, vegetables, and fruit under glass, can rnako a great deal of money in.Canada. A bunch of violets such as you can buy on a London street for a shilling will cost six shillings in Canada. A dozen roses will cost from six to ten shillings, depending on the length of tho stems, and at Christmas time roses are twenty shillings a dozen, and from that up to fabulous prices. You havo to be well off to send flowers for Christmas presents in Canada. "Vegetables and fruits aro equally highpriced. Strawberries aro a shilling, the quart; tomatoes, a shilling the pound; cauliflower, a shilling the head; milk, iivepence tho quart; cream, two shillings the quart; eggs, from Is. Gd. tho dozen to 2s. Gd. the dozen, depending on the season; and butter, from Is. Gd. the pound to 2s. Gd. the pound. The woman who can combine poultry farming and dairying with a greenhouse could surely made a comfortable living. "Equally certain of comfort is the woman who can bako bread, make jams and jellies, home-made pickles, or establish a boarding-house or a lunch-room. These things all pay in the West, and it only needs talent, business ability, and a small amount of capital to make "a success in Canada.