DOMESTIC SERVICE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 63, 7 December 1937, Page 8

DOMESTIC SERVICE

New Ideas to Solve Old Problem HOUSEWIFERY CENTRE Every week, it seems, new ideas at\ propounded for solving the domestie service problem, writes a London corxftepondent. The other day we were; toJd details of a particularly interesting scheme whieh has now been in existence just over two years and, in that time, has trained 150 women for domestie service. It may not seem' a large numberj on the other hand, it- is but a beginning, and since this housewifery centre is having such a success, it is likely that other similar organisatiOns will be started. It deals mostly with women over 40, the majority of whom have been earning their living in .business, but who have come into inevitable rivalry with younger competitors. It takes eourage to start.an entirely new career at such a time of life; it takes eourage, too, to embark on work that some f ear may involve a loss in prestige. But this is the very attitude that has to be broken down, and it is an open secret that most of the women who have been trained and who have started on their new jobs are now glad to have done so and hnd much more interest and comfort in their domestie service than they expected. They learn their work thoroughly. They afro taught to cook, to plan ordinary, simple dinners, to make bread and cakes, to time their different jobs, and to organise thorough spring cleanings. They leave the centre versed in all the ordinary simple ways of running an ordinary, simple house really well. The root of the trouble, the household workers always insisted, was the inconsiderate mistress — and there were ;many outside their group who agreed. No doubt there are many faults on both sides, but it certaioly cannot be denied that there is a type of woman who makes life a very miserable business for her- domestie employees. That the good mistresses should not suffer with the bad'from scarcity of household helpers, the Wayfarer Guild of Household .Workers has been formed in London. Already the guild has 2000 maids and mistresses as members, and hopes to in- • crease this number ^within the year to 200,000. Their slogan is "Boycott the inconsiderate mistress." A badge is issued — a white sea shell, with the letter W in the middle — by whieh employer and employee may recognise each other, and it is the aim of the guild to establish mutual understanding and the means whereby maid and mistress may meet together on an equal footing to discuss matters of hours and wages. I heard to-day that the Minister of Labour is to approve a "servaUts' charter, ' ' whieh will give, servants a fifty-six hour week, regular time off for meals, and holidays with full pay. Miss Boucher, a well-educated HereI ford woman, who has been cook-geneiral to a Hampstead family for 15 years, was given time offi to attend the' first meeting of the Wayfarer Guild, and she declared that nothing would be accomplished until the status of the servant was raised to that of the nurse. She told of parties at whieh she was cordially received— until she Tevealed what her job was. "I don?t mind men* tioning my work, because I am proud of it," she added. , The investigation revealed that: Servants do not object to the ferrn "servant." They are satisfied with their wages, whieh in most cases are better than those of the average shop, factory and office worker. Their chief grievance is in regard to liberty ; they envy keenly the fixed hours of other workers. "ItJnless a solution is found for the domestie servant problem," said Mrs. M. M. Bear, founder of the guild, ' there will be a greater diminution in the number of children in middle-class households and a gradual abandohment of family life in favour of the artificial existence in kotels and service flats." With better conditions, it seems certain that many girls will take up domestie work, instead of going into factories or shops, and the scarcity of domestieworkers may become a thing of the past.