Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-08-21
THE SERVANT PROBLEM
Win Its Solution Be Found In Chinese
Labor?

Labor?
One of the problems in this and some
other parts OF the country at the present
time is pertaining to domestic servants.
With the increase In number of textile es-
Establishments and the opening of new ave-
nues to employment for women, the house
wife finds more difficulty than ever before
In securing capable domestic servants.
Even higher wages and moro freedom than
formerly was the custom have failed to
help matters. The demand is at all times
much greater than the supply and matters
have been growing from bad to worse so
rapidly that the problem has become Of
more direct interest to housewives than is
that of Cuban reciprocity or the ultimate
disposition Of the Philippine islands. The
men, too, are directly interested in this
matter. although the burden of engaging
and training the cooks. second girls and
other classes of domestic servants, natu-
rally falls on the women.
In this dilemma, one Burlington family
has turned TO the Flowery Kingdom for
help, although Immediate relief was found
in New York city. Chinese cook Is a
novelty in Burlington, but the experiment
has thus far proven so successful that GER
tain other families in this city intend to
follow the example, The Chinaman in
question was obtained in New York and
does all the work required to be done in
the family and at price no greater than
the combined wages of a female cook sec
Ond girl and washerw oman would amount
to,
The family in question was led to make
the experiment because Of the success that
attends the hiring Of Cinnamon for house
work in California. In that State by far
the greater part of all the homework is
done by Cinnamon and as n rule one Chi
naman will do the work of two women of
any other nationality. They are excellent
l
washing and ironing if that is stipulated
in the bargain, expect to do all sweeping
ana cleaning and make ideal table walters.
OF course in very large family it would
DC physically impossible for one man to
do all the work required to be done, but
in family of moderate size one servant
is all that Is required. In some Instances
they object to the presence in the kitchen
Of the mistress of the house but il the
work was being done in an entirely salts
factory manner most women would be
willing to humor their servants In this
within. AS rule they are faithful and
honest, these qualities being fully recog
nized even In the hostile country of Japan,
where most Of the bank clerks are China
men, who are considered moro reliable
| than the japanese themselves. In San
Francisco and neishborinB cities the Chi
nese servants are controlled to a certain
extent by one man, who acts as an agent
| between employer and eInploye and to
" HON all persons wishing such a servant
must go, The average wages arc about
| so per month, but It must be remembered
| that all prices are on higher scale so 10
speak, in California than in most Eastern
States. But even at that price. the cost
of keeping a Chinese servant would not be
more than would he necessary to get the
same amount of work done by two or per
haps three women.
| Enforcement Of the Chinese exclusion
act Is likely to keep out OF this country
most of the Cinnamon who might be will
ing to come here and perform domestic SER
vice, But there are in San Francisco and
In many other large cities of the country
enough representatives Of the Flowery
| Kingdom to supply many families with
servants and 1t In not impossible that the
example set by the burlington family
above referred to may be followed to such
an extent In this CITY that a solution will
be found for the servant girl problem.