The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-18
MAIDS OF. ALL. WORK SCARCE,
AND so THERE rs SORROW IN
MANY A CITY FLAT.

Proprietors OF Employment Agencies Try
to Account for the Lack OF Generals
HOusework Servants Ambitious Mis-
tresses One Cause-A Reacti on Coming
One OF the most important personages In
New York just now is the general house,
work servant. She enjoys the distinction
OF being eagerly sought after.
Never by any chance does she undergo
the modification OF encountering, In an in
telligence Office at least, the cold shoulder
The glad hand Is hers whichever way she
turns. Her enviable lot Is not Of course
the outcome OF any newly discovered
qualities she possesses. but Is due solely
to the fact that she Is scarce-as scarce IA
fresh fruit at q summer resort.
That comparison was made by house
keeper. She had just come back from
summer resort and was diligently hunting
for housemaid to operate the kitchen
machinery OF her modern fiat. She Incl
dentally remarked that modern improve
ments hadn't done what was expected
Of them in making servants oontented
with their lot.
an days Of portable wsshtubs,' said
she, when a servant was expected to
fire, and to heat the dish water on the
back Of the stove in small quantities. she
was much happier and more oontented
than now. Modern improvements seem
only to have complicated the servant
problem"
There are two sides, though, to every
story. At one Of the intelligence Offices
the other day q servant refused point blank
to IN v,lo OYnrnd har IN n
fiat because there was no gas range In the
kitchen.
Its not me- she remarked, with toss
Of her head, who will be bothering with q
coal range
| And she did not have to bother with one.
A half dozen places with gas ranges were
awaiting her.
To the uninitiated the scarcity Of general
housework servants IL puzzle.
The aforementioned woman with
modern fat on her hands and no servant
visited several agencies in her search for
maid OF -all-work. To her surprise che
found that although the proprietors were
almost unanimous In saying that there Is
certainly dearth OF general houseworkers,
no two agreed exactly on a reason for it.
One Of them thought that there were now
just as many women willing to take general
homework places as there ever were, but
that the demand for them was greater.
not only because Of the multiplication Of
fats, but also because there was a larger
class Of employers than there used to be
with comparatively small incomes and
disproportionatelyb big notions-women who
have extravagant tastes in dress and who
cut down on servant hire to put the money
saved on their backs.
Instead OF keeping two servants" this
With one, and that one Is bound to be a
regular slavey II she pretends to manage
the work laid out for her. 1t Is women
like that who frighten the general house
workers into agplying for special work
woman, said that In her experience Of many
years general Homework servants had
never been so scarce as now. nor did they
ever before ask such high wages.
Girls know who once were willing
to do kitchen work are now applying for
places as chambermaid OF as chamber
maid and waitress" she said. They
want to escape washing and ironing.
THE younger, girls in particular who
pieces like bed and table linen. Another
complaint of the general housework girl
of late Ia that she is asked to dress UP too
much while at her work.
THE mistress wants her to wear q cap
and to answer the doorbell, no matter what
the time OF day, in an immaculate white
apron and her sleeves to her wrist. She Is
expected to cook a dinner. which is hot
work always. and then serve 1t wearing a
thick white collar and cuffs. serve 1t in the
regalia Of a waitress, in fact.
1T Is a lot Of petty things like that which
have helped to sour girls on the general
Homework question, as we'll as the fact
that their work seems never to be done.
Ladies' have themselves to blame for send
ing many a good houseworker out OF the
ranks, simply because they expected too
much style Of them.
when girl is busy In the kitchen wash
ing dishes. cooking or scrubbing with her
sleeves rolled up and collarless. as likely
to stop every half hour to roll down
her sleeves, put on white apron and answer
the doorbell And I never saw one yet
who took kindly to cap.
ladies who want to keep up good
deal of style must keep two or three SER
servants life miserable by trying to do the
stylish act with one maid
zone thing is sure, however, there are
not enough places just now for the girls
provide for all those who come to me and
| believe it Is the same at other offices.
Therefore either those girls must accept
places to do general Homework or else go
to work in factories.
Some do choose the latter, but believe
that reaction is setting in in favor OF
doing homework. II employers were more
sensible think dozens OF girls now sitting
around idle in hope OF getting a special
place would close bargain to take gen.
eral housework situation"
In the central part Of town is one Of the
best known intelligence offices. The woman
who runs 1t has been in the business for
wears, She Is well and favorably known
and she inspires confidence in the minds
Of both employers and employees who
register in her books.
What is more to the point, she has thought
much on the servant problem OF late
and like others In her position she has had
her troubles. This woman strange to say,
places some OF the blame for the present
condition Of the servant question: good
deal of blame in fact-on the proprietors
OF intelligence offices themselves. Said
she
MANY OF them, without perhapa thinking
to what 1t was going to lead, have melted
girls to try for positions they were not really |
able to fill because OF TIE higher wages
the girls would get and the consequent
higher percentage the Office would receive.
Sometimes the girls have been encouraged,
= - t1,or ta1 tn fry ~har ro.