BUSINESS GIRLS’ WAGES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2449, 13 March 1909, Page 7

BUSINESS GIRLS’ WAGES.

1. • lIOW THEY LIVE OX THEM. There pare : •hundred:*- of iyhung girls working" in shops in and about Melbourne for wages' v.diieli range from live shillings a. week to twelve .‘hillings _j aud sixpence. If the subject is men J - tioned. someone is sure to remark that ‘mo girl could live on that" ; hut it never seems to he anyone's business to* , find out whether it would- not be posf to. bring about,, better .conditions, i The' reason why wages are low is that tQi ro are plenty of girls ready to work for those wages. And Hie reason why there are plenty of girls prepared " to work for those wages is that, for the most part, they -are obliged to keep Themselves. They, live, in thoyr own homes, and the lather,-or brothers/ or perhaps some special!* gifted sisters, keep the home going. Whether they •go into shop's, or stay at home, these girls have to be !<( of And if ,t:roy; go into shops the few sh-iiliitgs a week that they earn will keep thorn in pocket money and perhapA in clothes, tea. This -is the first thing that i learned when I began to make "inquiries. There is, always a large supply of .such, girls, to draw upon. One girl of my acquaintance, who *-fauns twelve, shillings and sixpence a. week, keeps ilserfelf on that sum. She pays seven shillings . and sixpence; a „ week f«r her board. She;- shares a small, poorly furnished room in o little villa with another girl similarly situated. So -much she. fold me willingly. , But when I asked-qnostiens sh:.ut the -'‘ wkinci of food she got to eat she was loy. ally reticent. "It is better than you would believe,”._,she. iuyiytod. Of. c-o.ur.ee. If know there are wonderful henrokeepei;a who feed their families with a marvellously small outlav. ---Ai»el tb such women the extra fifteen, eludings a week, which Would pay the-'-rent, would be a big help, even with two extra mouths to feed. Hut in very many case's the necessity for finding cheap lodgings must mean that the girls are very ill-fed. And the houses in which they ■ ( live are small and stuffy ; so that be- ' 'tween the two things their hearth must .suffer. Out of the remaining tivo. shillings my little, friend must, find money Tor clothes, train fares, all’ her pleasures,. and the little incidental expenses which occasionally crop up. 'She used to work in a town simp, she told mo; but -went- into a suburban shop eo that she . might- live near enough to walk -to her work, and save the drain ticket. The imonthly ticket to the nearer suburbs ranges in price from 7s to 14s per month, and h a con rich rat io item, therefore, in the busineos gv! r s expenditure. The oust qiigiit be logoned a litde if lialf-yearly or yearly ticket.-; 1 could be purchased. This con!-.! -only be done,' however, by co-opertu.'-oa, because the girls have so little n-w.cy at command. And the uncertainty .of j i any girl i emaini-ig in an/ out: simp for , >oTong :l time would make the arrange- j ' ment a hastanlou; one. if it could be < carried out. BcAdcs. there seems .to j \be very few girls who care to- tikeuss their financial arrangements frankly with their friend.*,..and. therefore, co- ..1 operation is not .likely to be a popular method of “managing” amongst them. . Five shillings -.: week seems Htile di-et-V ought for clothes alone. Yet- tlicro arc- : „ girl;, like my friend, who manage to 1 -wave a shilling a week-cut of tin:;, to , i ■featc a IS <1 for emergencies.•. J doubt { whether silk could manage, however, if i j /.-•IHV was nol# faitJv skilful need rwom- |.- .. ai... and ‘'• ne had not tlm ■; c aeional j j friend's mac.bin:-. Me;:-tolly. I a shahiiy skirt is u.;t v.. ry con- j ..Tons behind the counter : and black l rose os have the advantage ct keeping 1 neat much, longer than colored en.es. c • ‘There are girls .-who ara..wor-:e off tiiau i I am,” my friend assorted, "and they 1 manage to look jiic-t as neat, and are a! way r; cheerful." ‘ I am bound to 10. . love it, because sh-.- knows- wha'tsite is talking -about: but 1 find if a very’ difii ■ •cult tiling to realise. IVben sk’kners , <-ome.; the girls must be in a very tight.ccv.ii.er indeed. There are employers, it must be said -in ji.wtice, wlio am very good to their employees, to those at £ any rate who have been in their employ f, for any considerable length of: time. A One case in which I. have known a girl • i who was absent twice within eix menihs. • | once for three ivis-ly ami oner- 1 r nine j ■ I weeks, received-her-wages m full for all j i the time she lva ; away. But thev can--1 not at all count upon that,, and I should j very- much like to' know 1 how tin •"•theirs tide- over such bad times. 1 t out upon my inquiries in the- hope i hat . I might bn able to -make some suggestions which would be helpful to these ...girls. ‘ But I am' forced to the I-Oavic# tion that they nonage better than. 1 .should. It seems to me that there i; a big work waiting to be done by wmo able women who appreciate other wom- ■ en’k difficulties. It-'ought : *td' b - possible feti :mi a big boarding esiabtish- > - ment ror.'these- girls on simple c-c-ono-juical lines. *T know that of tins sort have in the- past . proved :ailr: itres. But if private imiividur.A?. can board girls for is> Ckl a week -each. it ought to he po.’.sihh- for a I'g Ivcardingbouso to do it. too. The food o-ounl be of tiio simplest... but good of ivy. so it, - aud well cooked : and the- bedroosrfs, if ulain,. could at least bo well ventilated and- airy.’ d course, the proprietor foul'd not expect to .make money -vat of the work ; but tliere must .surely be. in a big •city. like .'tins, some-woman who would like the work, for what it- mc-srio. and who would be content with playing .mother, without trying to get rich at . the expense of -hard working girls. Far ’*' better than charity, it seems to me, should be the work of helping those who try to help themselves.