The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-13
NO SERVANT GIRLS.
Wichita Has a Famine That Is Getting
Serious.


The servant girl problem has struck
Wichita as well as all OF the southwest
Kansas. The Eagle has had ads. for ten
to fourteen girls who are wanted in pri-
vate houses almost every day for the
last month. There is a scarcity of girls
and il is almost impossible to secure them
at all. Wages do not seem to be any in
ducement at all.
Mr.. ]. r. Kenworthy stated yesterday
that he could not get them at all. as they
were simply not to be had. Wichita is
no. the only town that is suffering in this
way Kansas City has no girls, and there
is not a town anywhere that has. The
eastern cities are even worse off than are
the western" Mr. Kenworthy said that
he believed the reason for the scarcity in
help Of this class was not the wages paid
as servant girls were receiving better
wages at present than ever before. He
further said that nearly all girls would
rather work in stores and have their
evenings to themselves than 10 work in
a home and go days, nights, Sundays and
all of the time.
There is scarcely an Office in the city
that has not an office girl who does the
stenographio work. keeps books and
thousand and one other little things. The
work is not hard and the hours are pleas
ant The pay is not better than the pay
that they would get in domestic work.
ana often times after paying their board
they are actually worse off financially.
All this is to be preferred to working all
day Sundays cooking for double the
number of people on that day of rest that
they have tc cook for on any other day
in the week Not only that, but they are
always the last ones to get through with
their work evenings. When the supper
dishes are done, it is in nine cases out OF
ten, too late to go to prayer meeting OF
any social gathering whatever. The re-
suIt is thew sit around in the room pro-
vided for them until bedtime and then
retire only to be the first up in the morn
ing building fires and getting breakfast.
It has become such an object now TO Sc
cure help that nearly all families who
advertise for a girl state that there VIII
be no washing to do All this has little
effect when the dry goods stores who en-
ploy great many girls, close at ana
o'clock The factories who can, are en-
Moving girls and are making the hours so
1leasant and the wages such that It is
really a serious question as 70 what fam
lies are going to do for help Wichita
people are finding this out in great
many WAYS and something has got 70 be
done. 4 great many people are asking
themselves the question: How can We
change our method Of living so as 10 meet
the requirements of the help that we
must have2'
Mr.. Kenworthy said that he had just
sent a girl out on a farm where she had
been offered $ a week to come and work
In a family OF three. She was expected
10 be a flrst-class cook and TO be able TO
turn her hand TO almost anything. The
girl who went seems TO be well qualified
to do the work and the wages were such
that she could afford 20 go.
Don't forget to use little Prickiy Ash
Bitters whenever the stomach or bowels
are dssordered. II quickly corrects SUCH
troubles and makes you feel bright and
cheerful.