MARY ANN PROTESTS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 20 March 1919, Page 3

MARY ANN PROTESTS.

The scarcity of domestic helps in Aupklapd—-and-put of Auckland, for that matter —continues to worry M the minuses," who complain bitterly that the offer qf high wages, Sundays "off," evening " out," and " followers allowed," is powerless to attract Mary Ann, who persists in turning up her nose at domestic service and has a growing conviction that female Britons never shpuld tye slaves, Several letters from Mary Ann have appeared in toe local niorning paper lately, from which it WQuld seem, that she has" not nearly so rqsy a time as some people suppose. "When women engage us, 1' runs one letter, they say—you must have a rest in the afternoon, hut we never have time. We just get enough time to swallow our meals, Then the halfVholiday a wee^ J^Sfierally rowans from I o'cloJ(pn4 there is every other Sunday afternqon off. How would the shop or office 0»rl like to have to work from 6.JJO a.m r to 8 p,m. and get every other Sunday afternoon off?" The writer of another letter complains; " I get no social life, no chance of fun with other gjrls. J am vieyer invited to take part ijy any entertainments because tfi© work I do' is classed as menial." This lady wants to be regarded evidently as *' one of the family-" P°or Mai-y -f un! gcores of her, hundreds of her in Hew Zealand are becoming or Jiaye long since become office girls, or shpp girls, and if they pan manage to do this, improve their status and secure easier IIPVIF 8 aT*s more J^erty * 4°ft?t

blame them. The working hours of the domestic help should be fixed by law, and so should her holidays.