New-York tribune., 1919-08-25
TO the Editor of The Tribune.

CIR: Tho letters published in The Trib-
une from those who have suffered from
the domestic service situation have been
most interesting, and as fellow sufferer and
! sympathizer I would like to add my voice to
the dolefu chorus have no solution Of the
difficulty-who has ?--but would like the
privilege Of making a few suggestions
To begin with, it seems to me good idea
to have this question discussed only by those
who have had practical experience either as
housekeepers domestic workers. One
thing which befogs this question is the fact
that many women who discuss 1t have never
kept house, or had husbands to deal with, or
babies to care for Among these inexperi-
enced ones are many who advocate the eight
hour worker idea.
The present writer has been a practical
housekeeper for many years, doing her own
marketing, assuming much of the care of her
own children and experimenting all the work
of her household, and fully able, if neces-
sary, to do the work herself.
For several weeks this spring was with
a young relative in New York apartment,
where the eight-hour plan was tried. A bu-
reau specially run to furnish eight-hour
workers supplied them. The first arrived at
7:30 o'clock and the second at noon, and
most Of them negroes. During thirty
years housekeeping experience l have never
seen expensive and so unsatisfactory an
arrangement The two maids expected to
have their meals furnished them they did
no IN OF oil
were seldom punctual in arriving and they
left, without warning, when they felt like it.
The two together did less work than one
capable English or Scandinavian maid, and
whatever went wrong was, of course, the
fault of "the other girl" They came as
trained domestic workers and neither of
them knew how to set @ table properly or do
the efficient work required In refined house
hold. Never before having had experience
with negro workers, I cannot say whether
their general unsatisfactoriness was due to
their color
OF course the experience of one family does
not prove that the eight-hour plan is not
feasible, but doubt very much whether it
be made to work under present condl-
IloIiS. L lie luoallStS VINO advocate 1t are
probably not aware of the fact that the aver
age woman is not businesslike by nature and
cannot be made by training The
girls who work in business houses are obliged
to undergo certain amount Of training, but
who is going to train the domestic worker
to be punctual in arriving at her employers
home and to faithfully do her work the
whole of those hours for which she is being
paid? At present there is no supply of do
mestic workers who know. how to do these
things without oversight, and it probably will
be some years before they can be trained
sufficiently to be worth their eight-hour
wages.
Then comes the question of who will give
them their training. The usual way in the
past has been for the so-called "green girls"
to get places at general housework in mod
est homes, or lesser places in large house.
holds, such kitchen maids. 1t does not
seem likely that employers would be willing
or even able, to pay eight-hour wages to
these "green girls" who frequently do not
even know the language.
One thing which has made the whole uues-
tion difficult is the fact that the i'm