I—l 7

D. DOMESTIC AND PERSONAL Under this heading are included all those engaged in the paid domestic and personal services, including those engaged in hotels and restaurants, and those engaged in such occupations as hairdressing, laundries, office cleaning, and private domestic service. The following table shows the numbers engaged in these particular categories between 1901 and 1945

Table No. 110.—Table showing the Number engaged in Paid Domestic and Personal Services at the various Censuses between 1901 and 1936, together with an Estimate of those so engaged in 1945

Note —The estimate for 1945 is obviously compiled on an entirely different basis from that for previous years, and hence, for comparative purposes, can be completely ignored. As far as males are concerned, between 1901 and 1921 the increase in the number employed in this particular type of occupation increased practically at the same rate as the population. There was a relative falling-off in this type of occupation between 1901 and 1926, but a very steep rise between 1926 and 1936. It is interesting, therefore, to trace out the reasons for this increase. In 1926 there were 875 males engaged in private domestic service, including indoor and outdoor occupations. This includes such occupations as domestic servants, cooks, motor-drivers, and suchlike. The figure for 1936 was 2,684. This increase is doubtless a reflex of the depression period, when, owing to the absence of other occupations, many persons turned to paid domestic employment as a means of livelihood. The figures for licensed hotels have remained fairly steady since the 1914r-18 war, being 3,944 males in 1921, 3,873 in 1926, 4,070 in 1936. Private hotels fell fairly steadily from 1,009 in 1921 to 659 in 1926, but rosa to 788 in 1936. This rise is probably accounted for by the same reason as the rise in domestic employment. The figure has probably fallen again since 1936, since the tendency to maintain private hotels and boardinghouses is fast dying out in favour of the practice of room-letting. As showing one further development, the figures for males engaged in hairdressing and related occupations are of interest, having risen from 910 in 1921, to 1,743 in 1936. A similar analysis of statistics for females shows that, while there were 20,621 engaged in private domestic service in 1921, this figure had risen to 32,064 in 1936. Those classified as domestic servants had risen over the same period from-15,559 to 29,262. The 1936 figure, however, is probably swollen on account of the previous economic depression which drove many women from factories and offices back into paid domestic service. Over the same period,' however, the numbers of women engaged in licensed hotels had fallen from 4,107 to 3,308 ; in private hotels and boardinghouses from 4,627 to 3,259 ; in restaurants the number had risen from 2,200 to 2,982. Woman hairdressers had risen from 149 to 1,558. This rise is indicative of the change in hairdressing fashions among women.

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Year. Males. Females. Total. 1901 6,542 27,852 34,394 1906 7,396 30,159 37,555 1911 .. 8,907 33,298 42,205 1916 8,769 31,686 40,455 1921 ' 8,927 32,762 41,689 1926 8,084 36,416 44,500 1936 12,263 44,482 56,745 1945 42,000 82,000 126,000