Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-09-10
Commissioner Lyons Has
Problem on His Hands,
rGir| Wanted" Circular AWakens
Unexpected Interest.
Two Maine Railroads File ThelI
Annual Reports.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Next Meeting of Governor and Council
Friday, Sept. 80, at 10 A. M.

Judging from the amount Of cor
Tespondence which is being received at
the bureau of industrial and labor sta =
fistics on the domestic help subject it
begins TO look as if the publicity which
was given Commissioner Lyons 40, 900
girls wanted" circular has no limit.
Nearly every mail brings letters of in
aury from far and near, some of them
being from foreign countries, and
many of the writer's are evidently pre-
pared to furnish domestic help, whole
sale or retail. Among the recent let
tiers received was one from Bridgton,
BarbadOes, and which says in part as
follows:
Dear Sir:-I beg tn enclose you a
cutting from the Barbados Advocate
newspaper, copied from the New York
Herald, in which il is stated that you
are anxious 10 get servant girls for
the State of Maine. know some
strong, respectable cOiored girls out
here who would be only TOO glad to go
as servants to families in Maine, if the
employers would send them money to
60 TO them. as these girls have no
money with which to emigrate."
and which attracted the attention of
the writer is headed Maine Cries for
Girls" and the text is as follows:
Any young woman who is willing to
live in Maine and receive from 50 to
Sc per week for the privilege will learn
something TO her advantage by adj
dressing Thomas J. Lyons, commissions
81 of the bureau of industrial and labor
statistics of this State. Mr. Lyons
whose rolltop desk, card index and
other apparatus are situated in this
city, is most anxious that ten thousand
young women come to Maine to relieve
The shortage in working feminity. All
that these young women will have to
do TO earn this So or s. a week, as the
case may be. is to work for it, Re-
searches made by the bureau of indus
trial and labor statistics have con-
WINGED Commissioner Lyons that in
the spring the fancies of young women
in this State lightly turn to thoughts
Of jobs in stores and factories. They
are so eager to work in these romantic
surroundings that there are few of
them left to do plain and fancy house.
work The statistics show that there
are at the present moment ten thou
sand homes in this State in which the
woman Of the house has no girl to as
sist her. This paucity of servants
has wrought up the State officials
that they have advertised for help.
Commissioner Lyons, who will be
blamed if the ten thousand do not ar
rive. has sent a neatly printed letter
TO newspapers throughout the country
asking them To give publicity to the
fact that Maine has about every en-
viable possession in the world except
servants In an effort to convince
potential cooks and maids who might
remain unaffected by the generous Of
fer of from So to SO a week. Commits
Eoner Lyons adds that all reasonable
privileges will be granted Whether
this promise includes more than the
conventional Thursday afternoon out
is left unsad. but there is lure in
Commissioner Lyons line. Maine is
famous for it's hospitality. its home
comforts and its home life.
so eager is Comm. Toner Lyons &c
welcome ten thousand young women
that he assures them that joblessness
is a condition almost unH1own mere
They win find their employers to he
very reasonable persons, VIII" VIII give
up from So to Sc a week VIII 'ut com
planning And for the brnei; OF thoSs
young women who faV" n"' r peer
this close to the North Pole, J. rs saio
that in Maine So is Il lot Of IN "iey
The annual reports Of the !plio"lhs
railroads We're received at iir once Oh
the State board Of railroad omrls-
sioners Friday:
Somerst Traction Co.-GroS~ earn
ings from operation. S24,eiS.92 "per-
ating expenses, ST. 1855; net earnings
from operation, S7,460.39E interest on
floating debt. $2.4S,.20; surplus at be
ginning of the year. $ll,35e.lo: surplus
at close Of the year. $l3. 13l ~: pas
senger earnings. So $3.50: main
tenance of way and structures S4'-
1898; maintenance of equipment
$2,l02.5a. operation OF power plai,'
S2,472.6l; operation of ears, $9'o'a'l4'
general expenses. $2.959.5S; passenge.
car mileage gS lO6. freight, man anu