The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-02-18
Women i'm England as Clerks and
BOOkkeepers.

s.Of all the benefits that could be con-
ferred upon England" said Lord Shaftes-
bury, the other day, none would be so
great as the emigration of from 100000 to
800, 600 women Even after that drastic
operation there would still remain a surplus
of nearly half million women over men in
the United Kingdom. This naturally leads
to the encroachment of women upon many
fields of industry hitherto monopolized by
men. Among others, they are daily making
their way as clerks and bookkeepers. The
market for clerical labor is overstocked, but
woman's work is cheaper than mans, and
she makes her way. AS bookkeepers in
hotels, restaurants and boarding houses, as
well as in many shops, women are preferred
to male clerks. Properly to qualify herself
for the post it is necessary first that girl
should have sound middle-class education;
and then that, after leaving school, she
should attend bookkeeping class, of which
several are held in different parts Of Lon
don. The classes are generally held after
the usual working hours, so as not to inter
fere with other employment; and the fees
attend After an attendance for four to five
months at any of these classes, a girl has
generally acquired the principles of book
keeping. On entering situation the pay
ment begins mostly at ten shillings per week,
and rises to fifteen and twenty shillings.
Higher salaries are paid to bookkeepers with
some knowledge of French, German or short
hand, the maximum payment being f10O.
Resident situations vary from the above in
several respects. The salary is, of course,
lower, and as rule there are no fixed hours.
The Sundays have also partly to be spent in
the house. Situations in business are there
fore preferable. In such the hours are on
an average from nine till seven. In trades,
especially with butchers, grocers, fish
nongers, ETC., the hours are later, the book
ing often being done after the rest of the
work is over. Bookkeepers employed in all
the different branches of the work have told
me that the work is easy, and that they are
without exception treated with kindness and
consideration. The reason for preferring
women bookkeepers is given by a lady who
has kept books for half century, IN the fact
that women are more trustworthy than men,
and that embezzlements heve never to her
knowledge occurred where a women kept
the books. Besides adds the old lady,
women work for less money than men.
However, they are much better paid than
than they were years ago. Yes, yes; book
keepers are getting on, and will get on bet
ter And with cheerful nod and bright
smile the veteran bookkeeper turns to her
life's work and begins to write.
Gas yet, however, the experiment of en-
ploying men and women together as clerks,
as they are employed together in shops and
in the telegraph service, is regarded as
rather a hazardous one. Why this should
be we do not exactly know, but that it is so
is indubitable. 1t can hardly be more dam
gerous to be in a coun ting-house together
than to be in a shop, but the rule is very
strict. Take, for instance, one of the best
places of the kind, that of the Prudential
Insurance Company, in Holborn, where $50
female clerks are constantly employed.
There is no communication between the
clerks of different sexes; the hours of work
are arranged in such a way as to prevent
them from meeting when coming or leaving;
there is a separate entrance for each, and
the women's apartments are in different
part of the building. If such severe re-
strictions are necessary, the field of female
industry will be much restricted. The ex-
perience of the Telegraph Department is
that they are unnecessary, and that moral
ity gains rather than loses when men and
women work together. Pail Mall Bati1et