THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1906.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8242, 21 September 1906, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1906.

The Mastertou Chamber of Commeroe in renewing the agitation for a line of railway between Mastertou and Wnipukurau are oertainly doing the right thing, and we very much hope that some substantial result will aoorne from their efforts. "If we have to agitate for ten years I think we ought to do it," said the President of the Chamber to the editor of this journal on a recent occasion. This is beyond question the right spirit in whiuh to approach the work of securing the line, whioh would be not merely of great advantage to Mastertou, but an inestimable blessing to the many settlers in the baok blocks. To realise that a long agitation is necessary before anything will be done is not inspiriting to the agitators, and the different schemes that have been proposed have not, and are not Jikely to find favour in the eyes of the Govern-

meat, if past experience may be relied upon. It seema now that the chief hope of those who would see the railway in existence is to persuade the Government. to construct it. State-owned railways is a plank in the Government platform from wbiuh it will not depart. If the raiiwpy has to be State-owned, and the line of standard width, clearly then the Government must undertake the work of construction. With the North Island Main Trunk Line yet to finish, and numerous other railway works in hand, not forgetting tne agitation that is still in full swing for the oompletion of the Midland line—a most oostly line to construct—-it is evident that the prospect of the Government agreeing to construct a railway between Maaterton and Waipukurau is by no means bright for many years to come. The position then resolves itself into this—-oan the Chamber of Commerce put forward Buoh a scheme before the Government as will induce it to take action? We should not I'ke to venture a positive opinion on this point, but we think there may, perhaps, be a plan that could be adopted with success. We believe !t*e are correct in stating that the latter part of the Paeroa-Waihi line was oompleted through the Waihi Gold-miniug Company advancing the necessary funds to the Goverßmeut. Of oourse the Paeroa-Waihi was a short and highly important line of railway, and the Government may have decided to adopt a somewhat unusual course on that account. We are unaware upon what terms the Waihi Gold-mining Company advanced the money to the Government, but it may ba assumed that it was advantageous to the Government to accept it. In view of the preoedent established in the matter referred to, may one not ask, whether or not—-if a portion or the whole of the money could be found in the Waizarapa for the oonstruoton of the Master-ton-Waipukurau Railway—the Government would carry out the work without delay? Of course, upon whatever favourable terms suoh money might be advanced, to the Government it would mean that the Government borrowed it, but that could hardly be an objection in the eyes of the Government. The difficulty that the Government has to face in undertaking big works is the providing of the money for them. Wra do not know whether any such scheme as the Waihi one could or would be adopted in regard to the Masterton-Waipukarau Railway, and with considerable diffidence we raise the question,

To tbo runny mothers of familise ami others whose search to obtain efficient help in the home is generally unsatisfactory and usually attended with much unpleasantness, the formation of a domestic workers" union in Wellington, to protect the interests of domestic servants, must seem to be slightly unnecessary. Iu days gone by there is only too much reason to fear that the mistresses, in numerous instances, did not treatf'thelr domestics with sufficient consideration. But a different state of affairs obtains to-day. Whatever tha position may be in the cifciea, in the country it is impofßibie, in many oases, for mistresses, or employers of domestic workers,who are willing to pay good wages and treat their employees with every consideration, tc obtain satisfactory assistance. The prosperous condition of the country, no doutt, accounts for the scarcity of the class of labour we refer to, but it is a curious fact that many girls prefer to work at restaurants, hotels, and boarding-houses, where they are worked harder, treated with far less consideration, and paid no better wages thuu they would receive in private houses. It is, also, true that the capacity of the domestio servant is not what it was nome years ago—this fait has created many interesting discussions In both the Old Country and America, and, from what wo have road, the consensus of opinion is that the mistresses are to blamo for this depreciation iu the efficiency of the domestic worker. If the Domestio Workers' Union in Wellington is going to call the Conciliation and Arbitration Act to its assistance, bo that the noura of work and rates of pay may be regulated by the Oo,urt, it is only reasonable to assume that the oapaoity of the" domestics will, also, be defined. In fact, there is no reason why there should not be certificated domestics ,]uat as there are certificated nurses and journeymen in various trades and industries. The wages paid to a domestio should not be assessed by her age or size; but by the experience she has had, and the capacity she has gained thereby. "Journeymen" domestics, or those who had served a proper apprenticeship, would, of course, be entitled to the highest wages. If the formation of a Domestic Workers' Union means that there is going to ba an inrprovemeut in the capacity of the domestio worker, and that the employer is going to be protected as well aa the employee, then possibly there are many overworked mothers and worried "ladies" who will have reason to approve of this new development in the domestio servant problem, if it is developed to any considerable extent.