New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-09
Tile Newer There Tha in
America. but They Are
Nearer a Solution.

NcdTcT a SOIutIOh.
While we in America are raging and tar
ine our hair waving our hands helplessly
ard Iam-nting that girls prefer grinding
| factory work 10 domestic service in our
| G., mfortabIe homes" the women of other
| countries particularly Germany and Nor-
way, are striving to do something, TO formu-
late some plan OF action that will meet ;he
| situation This in spite Of the fact thar
| the problem is comparatively new one
| for them. The manufacturing industries oil
| Germany much younger than thos" oil
| America. and the industries OF Norway
lave only Just been born. II is. therefore,
only recently in those two countries mat
| the community has had to cope with the
| problem of girls preferring factory work to
domestic service. and Yet in both countries
something is being done to find solution.
| In Germany the socialists are endea' or-
! ing to put domestic service on a hlEher
| plane by unionizing the servants. In Nor
| way the government is striving 10 accom-
! plsh the same end by running a school Tor
! girls who wish TO go into dom, stlc WORK
and thus making it a skilled trade and IN
| fuencing opinion to regard II az SUCH
THE servant question in Germany laid
| an American woman who has just returned
frcm housekeeping year In that country
| rs one Of the most lively ones of the Gay.
| Most Of the maids are socialists and social
ism and trade unionism are much more
| closely allied I'm Germany than they are
| here. It Is for that reason that the social
lists have made great point Of organizing
domestic service unions.
pOursa lOtg of DpOple In (,aTmdny are
not in sympathy with the socialist move
ment, but they find it awfully hard 10 h"ep
their maids from becoming socialists. In
the bottom Of the morning bag OF rolls VIII
be a circular addressed 10 the maids and
reading something like this: Are YOU be-
iny oppressed? Are you expected 10 work
a. any and all hours Of the day? Join the
socialist party and get the advantages OF
union hours and union wages
Servants who are members of this union
agree to work n certain number OF hours
a dsy. say twelve or fourteen. They stip-
ulate for certain hours 10 themselves, Ike
half an hour for meals, during which they
shall not he disturbed. For any time they
are required to work beyond the agreed
number OF hours they get overtime pay.
They get extra pay. too. Tor extra PERSONA
service and for extra work done during
the illness of any member of the family.
They also stipuate for one evening on
week and Sunday afternoons, and room
with window.
"The rocialists offer all sorts of induce
nents to servants TO join this union. For
instance. they have clubrooms where the
girls NAV 20 on their afternoons and even
ings off to read or play and sing together
The housewives who are out OF sympathy
with the socialist movement and unioniz-
ing domestic servants are trying 10 form
associations OF their own 10 attract the
girls. They have adopted TO a certain eX-
tent the union requirements. They nave
also organized system of teaching peas
ant girls ont IN the country hometHliS
about domestic economy. They do TINS by
means of travelling corps OF teacHtlS'
and they find places as domestcs LOT lHe
girls that receive instruction.
There are some things about the Ger
man system ~ engaging servants that
seemed very odd to me at first. You nave
ia make contracts with them, say for three
or SIX months That is all very Wen II
Won got a good servant; she Is bound 10
Won, and YOU don't mind being bound 70 her'
! Rut # YOU get a poor one, the only way 10
! got rid of her before her contract expires
! e. IN nav her TO the end. | Will say though
! that they have arranged matters in such
! a way that you don't often get very poor
ono. The servants, like the members OF al
other trades in Germany, are required %
! ,ba notice to keep a little book IN WhI'h
they must record their life history. Ihey
have to put down the name OF each EN-
nIoyer. the dates OF their employment ana
reasons for leaving any position. IL Is up
| IN them. then, to make their own records
and naturally they strive TO make them as
| good as possible. And since this Is ponce
regulation the police take an active inter
ast in tracing dishonest servants ana III
| koeping them 10 their contracts 4hey
| aIeo protect the servants in keeping you
| n yours. The contract can only be oioA"h
for reasons of weight that must be SUI
mi,ted TO the proper authorities
Quite different from the German attempts
- solve the servant question IS the plan
,ov being tried IN Nor"ay. ms pan mas
a government backing.
| "1p Norway. where We are pioSI' Ssihs :"
ronidIy in all classes" sad a clever !oUhs
1