WASHING DAY.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 August 1920, Page 4

WASHING DAY.

EVERY MONDAY MORNING

Goodness me, hut I’m tired. This live long day, its been nothing hut, rub, nth, scrub scrub, tit the great heap of dirty clothes. Why cannot some man devise some means on other of doing away with all this hard drudging toil we women have to go through, week after week, month after month ; tiye year in, year out, but what use is it to expect a mere man to help us women out ? Men think of nothing beyond having clean shirts, pyjamas, etc., when they desire a change of clothing. Then the next question is, what is there for dinner—and this on washing day, mind you. They expect a hot, meal, little thinking of the hard day’s toil the wife has had at the wash. Tut, never asking is there no other way of getting the dirty clothes for themselves and the children made clean without all this moiling and toiling in every household in Hokitika every Monday.

Why has there been to-day, 300 coppers lighted, 300 women rubbing, scrubbing and drubbing away at 300 heaps of dirty clothes. Why have they been slewing over smoky fires and steaming coppers all day in order to get their husband’s and children’s clothes made lit to use and wear? Then think what it cost this town to-day, Monday, washing day, for wood, coal, soap, blue etc. that is required to wash the clothes for 300 homes, to say nothing of the bone, sinew and bodies of us unfortunate wo. me, who have to do the toiling. But what’s the use of talking, why not appeal to the Municipal authorities to see if they couldn’t do something to alter it, or to the Government, or some of Ihe Labour Unions, or the member ol IYrLament—waste of time, pens and paper. * The, ones who can help it are the women of this town —to them I ap- cal.

Women, help yourselves, the men ill not stir hand or foot to help. Worn, think in a town named Letchwurtb, Herefordshire, England, they have built a town wash-house, not a laundry, just a house for washing and mangling every day clothes. Each household has a large white canvas bag, numbered, in which to carry their dirty clothes, to the wash-house, their clothes all being numbered as on the hag. They are taken and washed, mangled and sent home at night, rough dry, ready for ironing day, and for a family of husband, wife and four children, the cost is Is Bd. The scale of charges is lower to a family where there are a number of children, than to batchelor’s or husband and wife only. This wash-house is not subsidised by the Borough or Town Council-—it is paying its own way. The Council built and equipped the wash-house, and the inhabitants have to pay for having their washing done according to the size of their household.

Tli© washing is all done by electrically driven machinery, is properly clean sed and disinfected in the process ol washing, and returned to the owner the same , day it is received. Fiddlesticks, havers, what has this to do with Hokitika and my tired body, after a hard day at the wash-tub, -‘‘Aye there’s th e rub.” That is in England, but we want it here, and right now. Very well good women, you have K here. Get to it, aiid see you get is quickly. You have the power in your hands. There is abundance of power running past your door every day, but you have not men with brains enough to get the power harnessed. Therefore, I say, let we women get it done. There are other heavy burdens we are carrying, and they could ge got rid of if we had the cheap power. That power is at our very door. The men won’t move, so the women must. I’m too tired to say more. Next tim© I write I will say something about Ironing and Washing-Up. HOT-POINT.