Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber's Note: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.

THE LABOUR-SAVING HOUSE

_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_

WAR RATION COOKERY (The Eat-less-meat Book)
LEARNING TO COOK
10/- A HEAD FOR HOUSE BOOKS

NOVELS

THE HAT SHOP
MRS. BARNET-ROBES
A MRS. JONES

_PLATE I_

A FINE OLD RAEBURN MANTEL-PIECE AND FIRE-PLACE FITTED WITH A MODERN "DOG" GRATE AND GAS FIRE AND ALSO WITH GAS "CANDLE" STANDARDS]

THE LABOUR-SAVING HOUSE

BY MRS. C. S. PEEL

LONDON: JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD

NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY MCMXVIII

The greatest Labour-Saving apparatus which we possess is the Brain: it
has not been worn out by too much use.

_SECOND EDITION_

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THE ANCHOR PRESS LTD. TIPTREE ESSEX

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Some portion of this book appeared in the form of articles in _The Queen_ and _The Evening Standard_. My thanks are due to the Editors of those papers for permission to republish them.

DOROTHY C. PEEL.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

i. Why do we need Labour-Saving Houses? 3

ii. Labour-Saving Houses and the Servant Problem 7

iii. The Labour-Saving House as it Might Be 29

iv. The Labour-Saving House as it Can Be 53

v. The Work of a Labour-Making House, and the
Work of a Labour-Saving House 73

vi. Other People's Experiences of Labour-Saving
Homes 87

vii. Other People's Experiences of Labour-Saving
Homes (_continued_) 119

viii. Coal, Coke, and Gas: How to Use Them to the
Best Advantage 141

ix. The Electric House. Cooking, Heating, Cleaning
and Lighting by Electricity 171

A Final Word 187

Index 189

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

NO.
1. Gas Heater _Frontispiece_
2. Gas Heater PAGE 8
3. Gas Heater " 9
4. Gas Heater " 15
5. Gas Heater " 18
6. Gas Cooker " 31
7. Gas Heating " 31
8. Gas Heating " 33
9. Gas Heating " 35
10. Gas Lighting " 44
11. Gas Lighting " 45
12. Gas Lighting " 47
13. Gas Cooker " 51
14. Gas Cooking " 62
15. Gas Heating (Water) " 64
16. Gas Cooker " 67
17. Gas Heating (Water) " 71
18. Gas Heating (Water) " 75
19. Gas Kitchen " 79
20. Gas Cooking " 81
21. Gas Kitchen " 85
22. Gas Kitchener " 93
23. Gas Kitchen " 95
24. Gas Destructor " 97
25. Gas Kitchen " 101
26. Gas-Reading (Meter) " 105
27. Gas Oven " 108
28. Gas Oven " 111
29. Gas Steamer " 117
30. Gas Utensils " 124
31. Gas Oven " 126
32. Electric Kitchen " 131
33. Electric Iron and Electric Heater " 134
34. Electric Kitchen " 142
35. Dining-room Hot-Plate and Dreadnought Machine " 143
36. Electric Cooker " 145
37. Electric Fire " 148
38. Electric Cooker " 157
39. Electric Cooker " 160
40. Electric Transformer Co. " 163
41. Electric Transformer Co., Delightful Inventions " 164
42. Electric Transformer Co., Breakfast Cooker " 176
42. Electric Transformer Co., Toaster and Hot-Plate " 176
43. Electric Cooker " 177
44. Gas Oven " 180
45. Electric Fireplace " 181
46. Electric Radiator " 188

In almost every English house at least a third of each day is wasted
in doing work which in no way adds to the comfort of its inmates.

CHAPTER I

WHAT THIS CHAPTER IS ABOUT

_Why Labour-Saving Houses are Needed_

THE LABOUR-SAVING HOUSE