WOMEN IMMIGRANTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1922, Page 7

WOMEN IMMIGRANTS.

INACCURATE INFORMATION. SOME SEEKING HUSBANDS. DISILLUSIONED LAND GIRLS. Inquiries made in Christchurch indicate that the women immigrants who are being sent out to New Zealand by a society for the overseas settlement of British women are, in a large number of cases, not of the type suitable for New Zealand conditions. Many of them apparently have no idea before their arrival of the kind of work that is wafting for them, and quickly find that they would have been better off if they had remained in Britain. Others come out mainly with the idea, of finding husbands, having heard before they left the Old Country that New Zealand has a surplus of about 50,000 males, as compared with a surplus of 2,000,000 females in Britain. Not all of the girls are anxious to take up domestic duties, even though in order to secure free passages, they might have expressed their willingness to do so when applying for -free passages. Among these immigrants are office clerks, shop workers and girls who are in search of easy positions as helpcompanions, lady helps, etc. In this respect, although New Zealand still has need of good domestic workers, the labor market is being flooded because the immigrants are taking the places of New Zealanders in offices and shops. By the Pakeha which arrived recently, several girls came out who are described as land workers, and they expressed astonishment when informed that girl land workers are not required in this country. “It is absolutely ridiculous sending out girl land workers unless they are competent domestics,” said Mr. C. Benjamin, secretary of the North Canterbury Farmers’ Union, when asked about the matter. “We have plenty of men for all the farm work in New Zealand,” he added. Mr. Benjamin explained that the society for the overseas settlement of British women was still sending out female immigrants nominated to the Farmers’ Union and Sheepowners’ Union, although bot,h bodies had written on May 28, 1921, repudiating any further responsibility in the matter. If the girls had been sent out at the time the union asked for them, there would have been no difficulty in placing them, but the society was sending out girls at a time when the labor market was overcrowded. If a rush of immigrants set in now, as was apparently going to happen, it would be impossible to cope with them. Although there is still an unsatisfied demand for good domestic workers, a large number of girls and women are out of employment at the present time. A lady who advertised recently for a companion-help, was deluged with applications for several days. One effect of the surplus of labor offering for positions as female clerks, shop assistants and lady helps has been that a number of employers are reducing wages in a cruel manner. Tn one of the hostels in Christchurch are four or five girls paying £1 a week board, whose earnings amount to only 25s a week.