IN A PLUNKET WAITING-ROOM

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 271, 1 September 1944, Page 18

IN A PLUNKET WAITING-ROOM

(Written for "The Listener" by

S.

J.

HE scene was the local parish hall which did duty on Mondays and Thursdays as the Plunket waiting-room. ‘The three of us waiting our turn had already learned the number of ounces put on last time, the amount which might be expected this time, and the number of teeth our children had or had not cut. It was Mrs. A. who introduced the subject of domestic help, and the, dim purple light which penetrated the stained-glass windows might have been seen to change to rose as three harassed mothers evolved A Plan. It began when I asked Mrs. A. what she- had’ done with two-year-old Peter while she brought Paul to Plunket. "It just happened that my sister was there to-day," she explained, "so I thought I’d take the opportunity of bringing the baby to be weighed. It’s so hard for me to get along normally, as it’s too far for Peter to walk, and he’s too heavy now to sit on the pram. And he’s just at that age when you don’t like to dump him on busy neighbours." "I can sympathise," agreed Mrs. B, the mother of three. "What wouldn’t most of us give to have sdmeone coming in regularly when we wanted to get. out." "That’s just it," said Mrs. A, "and the more I think about it the more I think every mother with young children should be entitled to some domestic help. I know there’s been plenty of talk about it, but the only way I can see is, much as I dislike the word, for some compulsory scheme; that is, for every girl, on reaching the age of say 14, to have to do three or six months’ domestit service." \ "It does sound a little I remarked, "but if it’s going to give us help in the home, I’m all for it." The Statistical Approach Well, Mrs. A said she didn’t see why it should be unpleasant. The girls could work an ordinary five-day week, from 8 to 5, or perhaps to 6, to cope. with that tea-time bed-time rush, and they would continue to live at home, and would have their week-ends to themselves. "Of course there wouldn’t be enough to give every mother full-time help," she continued, "but they would. be apportioned out, ac¢ording te the number Of children in the family, perhaps one day a week for every child under five. You see," said Mrs. A, who had once been a school mistress, "the number of girls available, if the birthrate remains the same, would be half the number, approximately, of babies born each year, so that a girl working five days a week for half a year, would be able to give half-a-day per week for. each child under five. I think that’s right." We didn’t question her. I suspected some connection with the hen and a-half. piel an egg and a-half in a day and a- . Fi Pi 7 "To make it simpler," she continued, "a girl could give one day per fortnight

for each child under five, though personally I would favour perhaps less for the first and more for each additional child." : "And what about the over fives," demanded Mrs. B, "I’m afraid a mother’s work doesn’t cease when she gets the children off to school." "Oh well, perhaps mothers with children under 12 or 14 could have a girl a day a month," conceded Mrs. A magnanimously. "Then there are the women in the country. We may complain, but what about my sister-in-law who has three young children and lives miles from everywhere? Honestly, I don’t know how she manages to do all she has to. I think people like that would have to have their girls*by the week, perhaps on a more generous scale than for town mothers." Help During Sickness There was a yell as Baby B dropped his rattle overboard. Mrs. B restored it and peace. "Then there’s sicknesses we haven’t mentioned," she’said, "though IT think I saw something about a scheme for help during illness in the paper recently. Can you imagine the luxury of being able to go to bed and stay there when you were ill?" "And what about after confinements?" Mrs. A asked. "You know how weak you feel when you come home after that all-too-brief fortnight in hospital. I know I felt having the new baby to look after was quite enough without another child and all the housework as well. I think we ought to demand help for at least a week, or perhaps a fortnight after confinements as well." I made so bold as to ask who was going to pay for all this help. "After all, not many of us can afford to pay 2/6 an hour these days, even if help is available." "No, of course it would be financed by the Government," replied Mrs. A. "It. would come out of Social Security. I'll admit the present maternity ¥ fits are a great help, but they will to give us more than monetary if they want more children. .. . "Mrs. A became thoughtful. "If the birth rate is roughly 30,000 that would mean about 15,000 girls ‘available eath year at say £2 a week for 26 weeks; why, a mere £750,000 or even make it £1,000,000 to allow for extra help, That’s about the price of 20 bombers, and I’m sure less than the cost of a single raid over Ger-many-or about what two days of war cost New Zealand." Mrs. B, though no mathematician, agreed that she would be prepared to add to her family if she was guaranteed ‘some help in the house if that proved anything. "Goodness me," she exclaimed, "the Government insists on two weeks’ annual holiday for every other worker, but what about the mothers?" What About the Girls? And I said for that matter what other workers were there who would think of working unlimited hours without even . (continued on next page)

(continued from previous page) a day off. "But there’s one thing we've forgotten; what are the girls going to think about all this?" I asked. "Oh," said Mrs. A airily, "you’ve only got to point out to them that they will have the same benefits when they become mothers. It might even happen that, with reasonable hours and pay some girls might like to continue with this work rather than go into an office or shop or factory." ‘ "Well, I’m sure I wouldn't have minded it," said Mrs. B. "I didn’t know the first thing about housework when I married, so I had to learn the hard way. But I do think it would be a good idea if each mother could have the same girl as far as possible. It would be more a hindrance than a help if she had to show a new girl the ropes each time. And of course they would have had some training in housekeeping and child management, possibly at school, so they wouldn’t be quite raw." I suggested that the only disadvantage might be that the girls, having learnt what having a family entailed, might vow to steer clear themselves. Mrs. B ignored me. "Just think of it," she said, "being able to have just one day to yourself. It's not that I mind

housework. There is a certain satisfaction in a well-managed house, and in being your own boss, and there are plenty of less pleasant jobs than looking after children, especially your own, but it’s just the endlessness of it. Can you imagine what it would be like to eat one meal in your own home that you hadn’t planned, ordered, prepared, and washed up after, or just for once to have someone do the washing, hang it out, bring it in, sort it, fold it, iron it, air it, mend it, and leave you with a nice pile of clean clothes ready to go away?" "I think," said Mrs. A, "that it would be wonderful -being able to get out, just once in a while, without having to take the children, or without feeling under a debt to an obliging but obviously busy neighbour, or having to depend on the vagaries of visits from relatives, Think of being able to have an afternoon’s shopping, without feeling that ‘you had to rush héme the minute you had bought the first thing remotely resembling what you set out to buy-after all, families have to be clothed as well as fed. I think it is the mothers who have. most need of scarce things-like wool these days-but what chance do we have to get them?" "Or to make a dentist's appointment, and know you will be able to keep it," I suggested. : x * BE T the far end of the hall a mother was emerging from the nurse’s room. My turn was next. I left the other two gazing into the future. In a minute or two they would be making plans for their day off.