The herald., 1893-07-30
WOMAN'S WORLD.
SERVANT GIRLS ARE SAID TO BE
SCARCE IN NEW YORK.

Sum umner-Seasonable Hints as to Dress
and Diet-PersonaI Paragraphs About
Well known Women.
The servant girl problem, which has
been agitated from time immemorial,
has now become more serious than ever.
The scarcity of available girls is alarm
ing, and what makes the situation more
unpleasant is the fact that the many en-
ployment agencies throughout the city
hold out very little hope of improvement
until fall. The main reason for the pres
ent condition of affairs is the enormous
number of girls who have gone to Chi
cago, where they hope to combine busi-
ness with pleasure and see the Worlds
fair.
One of the largest employment agen-
cies In the city is on Forty-second street.
To reporter this morning the propri-
etor said: "Never in my 80 years expe-
rience at this business have l seen girls
II mean good, general housework girls
80 scarce. My reason for it? Well,
there are two. One is the Chicago fair,
and the other the many summer board
ing houses and hotels that have begun to
get ready. Why, there was one concern
in this city that has sent over 800 girls
on to Chicago for the new hotels. You
may imagine what a hole that makes in
the supply. But from what hear most
of the girls wish themselves back in New
York city. They are finding out that
Chicago is not the Eldorado they expect
ed, and l guess a great many Of them
win return in q month OF SO sadder, but
wiser, and, might add, poorer women.
s'Several of my best girls who went on
there have written me that If can place
them they will return immediately. /
couldn't get to the TELEGRAPH Office
quickly enough to tell them to core on.
j expect them Monday, and they can
have their choice from 60 applications
for girls. Talk about your prima donna
selecting her part, she amt in it with
the servant girl of the presentday. Come
around about October. I'll have plenty
Of girls then"
H l.. Alderman, the manager of the
Cosmopolitan Employment agency, in
answer to tho reporters question said:
''Are servant girls scarce? Well, l
should say they are, and what makes it
more annoying is the fact that when
good girl comes along she invariably
wants to go to Chicago, where she can
enjoy the Worlds fair. It's getting
worse and worse. What the large ho
tells and private families will do this
summer for good houseworkers l cannot
conjecture Already their salaries have
jumped from $14 to $50, and they are
hard to get at that. am thinking that
the thousands of girls who went to Chi
cago will wish that they had remained
here. That city, understand, is over
crowded with girls not from New
York alone, but from all over the coun-
try. The result is, think, that the
girls will come home sooner than they ex-
pocted. The servant girl today is an auto
crat-'she must be obeyed.' l really
feel sorry for my best patrons. who
blame me for not supplying them with
not to be had? But things will be diff
ferent in the fall, and the usual supply
will be.on hand for all who want them"
Probably one of the Oldest employment
agencies is the See & Schaefers. This
firm supplies help to the -Four Hundred
and are in a position ito know whereof
they speak. Regarding the scarcity of
girls one of the firm said: Eyes, there is
absolutely dearth of good housework-
ers. The demand is five times as great
as the supply. The Worlds fair is not
alone responsible for the scarcity of
girls. You see, the immigration has been
very slim of late, and as we get most of
our girls from that source it has greatly
inconvenienced us and annoyed our Gus
toners. New York Commercial Adver-
tiser.