DOMESTIC HELPS.

Gisborne Times, Volume X, Issue 980, 28 August 1903, Page 2

DOMESTIC HELPS.

A domestic training school is the latest from Christchurch. The Canterbury Women’s Institute, which has tackled the subject of domestic helps, held a public meeting on Friday last to discuss a scheme for the establishment of a training school and boarding house. The President, Mrs Page, sail that domestic service was not what it ought to be, and “ helps ” were not treated with enough consideration. With reference to the training home scheme for domestics, suitable premises could be rented at £l5O a year, if sufficient support to warrant the building was not forthcom-

ing, The matron should receive at least £IOO a year, furniture would cost about £3OO, and about £4O a year would be required for an assistant, the inmates also to help. The home should contain, on an average, about twenty boarders, and if these were charged 20s per week each, a profit of 2s 6d per head might be made. Many girls might attend as daily pupils at, say, 5s per week, or 15s with board. To improve the conditions of domestic service would be no easy task. There was the question of wages, and women were so often stinted in the matter of money that they could not pay what ought to be a proper wage. Mistresses said the girls were not worth the money, while the girls said the wages were not enough to induce good work.

At a later period of the evening, Mrs Page said that if helps got a shilling an hour and bought their own meals as workmen did the matter wouid be simplified. It was resolved that it was advisable that a company should be formed to carry out the scheme. The prospects of its success are not, however, considered brilliant,