The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-05
MUNITION PLANT ROBS HOUSEHOLD
 OF ITS SERVANTS
New York Reports Great Scar city of DOmestics Since
 War Began.

tn0 OnIeQ otdteS, mas pcsuh " NeeNSO housewives much anxiety. Employ ment agencies visited recently helo out little hope for an early solution of this vexing problem.
 The decrease in the number of wo- men seeking housework has been marked by an advance in wages rang ing in some instances from 50 to 60 per cent Employment agencies have been considering plans to induce coun- try girls to come to the cities and un- dertake domestic work. They have also discussed among themselves the practicability of offering this kind of work to office girls receiving lower wages than generally are earned by domestic workers
 W. E. Kruesi, superintendent of the Public Employment Bureau of Lafay- ette and Leonard streets, said large stack of orders for domestic servants had been received by the bureau, which was unable to fill them because there were comparatively few appli- scants for the jobs. He attributed the shortage in domestic labor to the lure of the munition factories and other Industries offering more attractive in dustriaI conditions not better wages.
 Factory Work Attractive
 "A representative of a munition fac cory Tn Bridgeport, Conn.,, drops into Fthis office every day to see if there are ny women who will take work in the munition plants,'' aaid MT. Kruesi f'"The company furnishes women mu- milton workers with rooms at g a week in the company's dormitories, and in addition advances to each Wo- man a meal ticket for two weeks. The meal ticket is paid for in fnstalments, the company making four semi-month- Ny deductions from the wages of the worker. The women start at 15 cents an hour, and on an average the un-' skilled workers earn from s14 to $15 month clear, while the more experi- enced are paid as high as $40. In ad- bdition we are receiving requests for workers from munitions factories in Jersey and from other industries near New York city.
 "The best feature of the scarcity of help is that domestic and farm work CTS have at last come in for a little increase in their earnings. The most urgent demands we receive usually are from hotels, restaurants ana ln- Istitutions of various kinds. They have Ito procure women servants in order 
 housewife manages to get along with tain them, and, therefore, shows much more patience while waiting for her order to be filled.
 '.The wages earned by immigrants and girls now range from SIS to $25 a month, whereas a year ago the same class of help could be obtained for <@ fr to offer, an experienced servant SEQ "a month, because there are too many persons who will pay $30 and $35 a month.
 while hotels and restaurants do not pay much more than private households, they are able to procure help more easily. because they re- quire of their help definite duties and regular hours and impose certain other conditions which the women daborers find more to their liking.
 Housewives Hire by the Day
 "A great many housewives are try ing to find a solution in hiring help by the day. the usual price for which is $1.50. know of instances where women workers have been employed by the day throughout the entire Win ter" ~T
 In the week ended Aug. 19 the Pub lie Employment Bureau had 259 posi- tions open for domestic workers, while there were only 63 applications for such work. Permanent positions were procured by 36 of the applicants, while other applicants were sent out to do day work totaling 115 days. At present there are applicants for only three-fifths of the domestic places of fered.
 The International Institute of the Y, W. c. A, at ,113 East Thirty-fourth street, which undertakes to place im- migrant girls who are detained at El- lis Island in desirable places, is an- other agency which is unable to meet the pressing demands for domestic help in private households or else where. Miss A. Hart, Office Secre- tary attributed the scarcity of do- mestic, servants for the most part to the decrease in the number of immi- grants, and held out little hope for a change in conditions until after the European war
 The International Institute has. re- gently received calls for young women from as far as Illinois. Those women who want work are demanding fnuch higher wages. and they usually man. age to get what they think their ser vices are worth. The foreign work iers have become more aggressive in demanding higher wages, according to Miss Hart. because they are bend ing every effort to assist their rela- lives in war-stricken Europe.
 Servants Send Money Abroad Those who are unable to forward 1assistance to parents and other rela- lives at tf1e. present time are hoard ing their earnings to send 1t as soon as 1t is possible to get assurance that lfhe money will reach it's destination. | Miss Hart said a large number of women had gone to munition factor tes and other industries, while there were none to take household work, es- pecially in the suburbs.
 Private employment agencies have been hard hit by the falling off in ItmmfGration and the increased de- mand for workers in factories. Everv- where they complained of being II ,- able to meet half the orders received for domestic servants. Inability to fur nish workers. it was learned, has for lced many agencies in West 125th street. two in Columbus avenue. one lin Upper Broadway. two In West Eff Ify-ninth street. and one free emplov lment agency. The wage offered was 1925 a month. with room and meals l AS vet not a single respOnse to fb,+