DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2452, 17 March 1909, Page 4

DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

The Mayoress is to be commended for the promptness with which she has acceded to the request of those ladies in Christchurch who have interested them, selves in the movement for importing domestic servants to this country. They asked that the petition which they purpose placing before Parliament should be circulated throughout the Dominion, and it is to consider this matter that Mrs. Lysnar has called a meeting for Friday afternoon at the Borough Council Chambers. Our readers are already familiar with the reasons which have actuated Southern ladies to take the extreme stand of approaching Parliament on such a subject. The fact of the matter is that the domestic servant problem is daily becoming more acute, and if even partial relief can be obtained by means of State aided immgration then that policy should undoubtedly be adopted. In no town in the Dominion is the scarcity of female help more pronounced than it is in Gisborne; and for that reason we should expect to find a ready response to the appeal from the South for co-operation. More urgent, however, than the necessities of mistresses in the towns is the need for assistance in the country, for in many a home in Poverty Bay something akin to a tragedy is daily being enacted., because the lonely toil of the one woman on farm and station is unrelieved by the assistance of any sort of female' help. One of the chief drawbacks to the settlement of the backblocks by suitable farmers is to be found in the natural reluctance which a man lias to keep his wife in the hopeless drudgery that falls to the lot of a woman who has to meet all the cares of a growing family unaided, and under circumstances of isolation and depression. The problem is much more serious than-appears on the surface, and we shall be glad to find it taken up in earnest on Friday afternoon.

An announcement relative to jmpoiinding's in the Gisborne pound appeal« m this issue.

A sitting of the Assessment Court for the Borough of Gisborne null be held in the Magistrate’s Court-house at 10 a.m. on Monday, April o.

The following further sums axe acknowledged by the Rev. W. tyrant <n behalf of the "Bread lund : *Ol k . Sake" £l, Friend, It. ss, F.J.V . Cl, Mac ss; total, £l2O 10s .

A warden party is to be held under tho auspices of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union at the residence of Mr. W. Sievwright to-morrow afternoon in commemoiiation of Frances Vv illai d s anniversary.

The recent criminal trials at the Supreme Court, Gisborne, cost nearly £2OO ; _ excluding the Crown Prosecutor s /ce and the payment of the Court crier, jurors and witnesses still unpaid are reminded that the accounts 11111 be closed this week.

The blue flag floating from the Y.M.C.A. rooms yesterday, showed that the "Blues" had regained the lead in the membership campaign. It is'Understood that they were one ahead or the "'Beds," and that the total number of members enrolled to noon yesterday was 139.

The following were the exports from the port of Gisborne for the month or February: Butter 622 cwts., valued at £3118; Beef, frozen, 2210 cwts., valued at £2374; mutton, frozen, 40,666 carcases, weighing 24,189 cwts., "valued at £32,852; lamb, frozen, 34,810 carcases, weighing 10.026 cwts., valued at £lB- -

The following passengers arrived by Messrs J. Redstone and Son’s coaches yesterday afternoon: —From Pakarae: Messrs Walsh and Orgill; from Tologa : Messrs Colgan, J. Healy, Dukes, Breniner, E. Ikjn, It. Clinton, Mrs. Thornton, Mrs. Johnson, Miss Quigley, Miss Grey, Miss Blair, and two Natives ;from Hikuroai: Mr. Stranger ;from Waikau : Mrs. J. Kinston.

To-day is St. Patrick’s Day, and in celebration thereof a social is to be held this evening in tho Garrison Hall. A committee, with Mr. M. Barry as lion, secretary, has made arrangements which should ensure a highly enjoyable gathering. Messrs Vita Bros.’ quadrille band, of six instruments, is io provide music for the dancing, which -will form the principal part of the programme. A meeting of Justices of the Peace will be hold at the Magistrate’s Courthouse, Gisborne, at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 2, for the purpose of revising the jury list. Persons desirous of claiming exemption from service would do well to have their names removed from the roll, as His Honor Mr Justice Edwards, during the recent session of the Supreme Court, stated that lie would not acknowledge exemptions unless parties had previously seen and arranged with the Registrar.

Yesterday afternoon the Mayor (Mr. W. D. Lysnar), with Cr. Pettie, the town clerk, and the borough engineer, inspected the Makaraka Domain, with the obpoct of recommending some improvements in order to make it more suitable for a picnic ground. It is suggested that a jetty should be erected on the Tanxheru river bank, and to fence off and plant a portion of the ground. A sum of £2OO is in the hands of the Trustees, and it is proposed to defray the ecr.t of the improvements out or this money.

Sites were selected by the Mayor and Cr. Pettio, on Monday, for a caretaker’s cottage at Te Arai waterworks and for a new break-pressure tank. The site for the cottage is opposite Mr. C. J. Parker’s cottage, approaching Flood’s Crossing, and has been chosen so that, as far as possible, it will not spoil or interfere with the working of Mr. Parker’s property. It is proposed to acquire eight acres, the larger P> tion of which is hill face, about ».alf : u acre being flat. The contractors are making all possible speed to ’are ’.he line repaired before the end cl •he on the work.

When the Chief Health Officer (Di. Mason) was in Gisborne last week lie arranged with the Mayor to send his head inspector from the Health Department, Wellington, and the inspector from the Napier district, to co-operate with Messrs Little and Ferris, the Council’s officers, in making a complete house-to-house inspection of the town, and they are to report fully in writing on the condition of all premises. Mr. Lysnar suggests that householders should look to the santitation of their dwellings, otherwise they will be liable to prosecution. The -visiting officers will probably arrive this morning, or on Saturday morning, and will commence their duties without delay.

At the last meeting of the Borough Council the overseer (Mr. W. Morgan) reported that the steam locomotive grab had been placed at the Government siding at Ejaitaratahi. There is,i it appears, a dispute in respect to its transference to the Council’s private line between the loading hoppers and the shingle pit, which will necessitate the laying of. about eight chains of temporary line. The Council’s contract, it is stated, included the erection of the crane at the hoppers at the pit, but tor the convenience of transit the machinery was erected in town and hauled out to Kaitaratahi on the Government rails. Operations meanwhile are suspended pending the settlement oi the dispute. The Mayor (Air. W. D. Lysnnr) with Cr. Pcttie and the town Clerk, went out to Kaitaratahi yesterday afternoon to inquire into the matter, which will probably come up for discussion at the next meeting of the Council.

Those interested in Ferguson’s Smelting Company and in the Wairongonai Mines Ltd. will be glad to hoar of successful testing operations that have taken place recently. Mr. 0. J. Hutch, ins on writes thus: —“Last week Fergusoui had a preliminary run of a- few tons partly to test machinery but principally to test the proportions of the various flukes and the secretary informs me this morning that the extract was at the average rate of £27 per ton of ore from the Monowai, on which they worked (they hold an option on the Mono\va.i and' are working that mine), and they found they had to increase the proportion of lime. -They did this in a second test and with satisfactory results. The smelting manager' is coming to town to meet the Directors next week and decide whether they will start at once to put through about 600 tons they have on hand. The Wairongonai Mines Ltd. have a lot of ore ready and could keep a fairly continuous supply but arc blocked by the nonrepair of trains, which it is the business of the County Council to have done.

There is a large amount of sickness in Auckland at present, colds in particular being very prevalent. The recent j hot, dry spell of weather is, no doubt, \ largely responsible for the sickness.

The Spa at Hanmer has now been finally converted into a sanatorium for invalids, and Dr. Chessoh and the matron are in charge. Mr J. B. Gould, who became very popular during his atay as manager, has given over the car oof the building (states the "Lyttelton Times”), and is spending a few days in Hanmer.

"I make bold to say that the country which has produced more eminent men spiritually, mentally, and educationally than any other country in the world in proportion to its population is own land of Scotland." So said Sir / Hugh Baton, the well-known evangelist, = in the course of his address in Burns Hall, Dunedin, last week.

An Austrian firm, in writing to a Du nc dun importer with respect to opening an agency for ornamental specialties, says:—"We think vour native population must be a large consumer of our cheap jewellery and beads, and should recommend you to consider earnestly our offer.” The native” population is distinctly good, considering the money spent in foreign countries by the Tourist. Department in advertising the Dominion and its potentialities.

One Sunday night recently, one Fitzsimmons was strolling round Horseshoe Bay, the Bluff, when he suddenly * became aware of a peculiar motion on the waters, at no great distance. Proceeding to ascertain the cause, it turned cut to be an immense shoal of fish. He lost no time in getting his net into requisition, with the result that lie was enabled to land at the Bluff on Monday afternoon six tors of that highly-prized fish the trevalli.

An informal meeting was held yesterday afternoon to consider the question of the coming Mayoral election. Mr. W. Miller’s name was mentioned. Mr. Miller, while extremely reluctant to come forward as a candidate, is willing to be guided by his friends, and suggests that a public meeting of those think the office should be contested be held, when the candidate to be brought forward could be finally decided upon. A meeting with that object is to take place in Whir ray’s Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday.

At Musselbur gh (near Dunedin), last week, an interesting ceremony was performed. The children of the State School there have purchased a New Zealand ensign, placed it in a box made of New Zealand woods, put a suitable inscription on a silver plate attached to the lid. and are sending it to the children of Musselburgh School, in Scotland. A large number of parents and friends assembled with the scholars in the school ground for the purposeof witnessing the public handing over of the flag to Mr M. Cohen, who will visit the Scottish school on Empire Day. mid present it on behalf or the local children.

A pathetic story, quite true, is told in Sydney in connection with the visit of Admiral Sperry and the American, fleet to that port. A little mite, who waved a tiny flag from the cliffs at Port Jackson, taking for excuse that his birthday fell upon the same date as her own. wrote to the Admiral, asking him in quaint baby talk if ho had noticed her little flag as he came through the Heads. In a charming letter the Admiral replied that lie had of course noticed her flag—that it stood right out among all the other flags, and he said how sorry he would have been if by any chance that one flag of all othershad not waved him a welcome. Later on the Admiral wrote to the little girl, telling her how the fleet had arrived at Manila, and how he had missed her little flag among the many flown.

A new Departmental regulation has been put into operation at the Sydney City Police Courts, with the object- of inducing sobriety amongst the Court's customers. By this regulation certain persons who appear to answer charges of drunkenness, or drunkenness and disorderliness. and are convicted, am fined the maximum of £2, in default one month’s imprisonment, or £3, in default, six weeks’ imprisonment. On promising the Court to abstain, the offender is given three months in which to pay the fine, and no surety is asked by the police. At the end of the three months, if they have not offended again, they are allowed a further three months, and so on until twelve montitshave elapsed. Then, if there has been no record against the offender, the whole fine is remitted; on the other hand, any lapse within the twelve months’ period will result in the original penalty being enforced.

The Minister for Railways (Hon. J. A. Miliar), speaking recently said ho regarded the prospects of the railway generally as decidedly hopeful. The grain harvest in the south promised to be exceptionally heavy, and the figures of the revenue already published showed that, notwithstanding certain reductions, such as the loss of the timbercarrying trade, the earning capacity of the Dominion railways continued to show a most satisfactory increase year after year. Economies were being effected bv the use of improved rolling stock. The new “A” engines, for instance, had a much greater traction power than the ordinary class, while showing a decreased consumption of coal and water of TO per cent, in eacli case; and the huge 90-ton ‘ ; Z'’ engines, employed on some of the sections of the North Trunk line will also do more work at a loss cost. Air Aiiilar further stated that no changes of policy would bo made until he had a year's experience as Alinister for Railways.

A meeting of ladies, convened by tho .Mayoress (Airs. Lysnar) will be held in tho Borough Council Chambers on Friday afternoon. in response to a request received from the ladies of Christchurch. The business will bo to- urge upon tho Government to arrange for i’reo immigration of single women suitable for domestic helps. Airs. Allison (Mayoress of Christchurch), in the course' of a communication on the subject, states that- at a largo meeting of ladies in that city recently a resolution was carried deciding to petition Parliament to restore State free immigration to single women suitable for domestic- service. It was added that in Canterbury they had decided to- commence an active campaign for signatures as soon as they heard other places had decided to do the same. It is felt that the 'petition will do no good unless it is from all centres concerned. As this is a question of much concern to employers of, domestic help in Gisborne, it is hoped that a large number will avail themselves of the opportunity to help in making arrangements that- will be a. saving of much worry to many housewives of this and other parts of tho Dominion,