DOMESTIC SERVICE.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Having just returned from a long tour of the world, and having visited Canada, America, Australia, and New Zealand among many other countries, I have been much interested in reading your articles with regard to the conditions of domestic service in England. I have talked with the highly intelligent chambermaids in the hotels, and also with many mistresses, mostly servantlese. The conditions are very much alike with regard to hotel servants in the Colonies. In Australia they have the eight-hour day for five and a-half days a week, thus having one whole and one half-day each week to themselves, working from 7 a.m. till 4 p.m. on the other days, unless when doing "evening duty," When they left at 2 p.m., and returned at 6.30 p.m. to do the other two hours' work. They got two half-hours off and three meals in the spell of 8 a.m. till 4 p.m., and they were paid .R1 9s. a week, and got ten days off each year with full pay. Private domestic servants got much higher wages, of course, but the eight-hour working day is not absolutely enforced in that case.
Can you wonder our maids are not satisfied with their one evening in the week and alternate Sunday evenings? The maids with whom I talked seemed quite well educated, had been to all the plays, and read the latest books (and could all offer "tips" for the races!). They seemed quite satisfied with their conditions of service, and apparently worked very hard during their eight-hour day, one maid telling me she had seventeen rooms to do. In America I noticed that the rooms were tidied in the morning, but never entered again till the next morning. After all, these girls are only young once !—I am, Sir, &c., A SYMPATELLZER WITH THE MAIDS.
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