WORTHY OF IMITATION

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 174, 22 July 1916, Page 17

WORTHY OF IMITATION

I Melbourne has a very useful movement afoot. "The Housewives Society." Through the agency of the club, women producers in the country—in a small way I —tind a market among city housewives ! for their butter, eggs, bacon, etc.: and I the city women are glad to get the fresh goods slightly below market prices. H is really becoming a kind oi mutual aid society linking women producers in the country with housewives in the town. Housewives can really reap advantages by supporting this progressive club. %vhile the back block wife, cut off from I most avenues of comfort and help, can jthus become self-supporting. By its ' means many home-made preparations and g Js such as toilette preparations from herbs, eucalyptus products, etc.. I are finding a market, and women in the country are being encouraged to develop in a small way. many small "side " domestic industries. The spirit of home ' production, the development of email injdustries i≤ in the air; and I truly believe it only remains for us women to push ahead'and accord our support, and quite a number of valuable industries will be established firmly in our midst.

TREE PLANTING. i c A branch of the Women's Civic League is doing a gTeat and too-little known * work for Auckland city. It is the seencry conservation branch. The commit- - tee are working hard in a quiet way. ' Several members have personally can- ' vassed the residents of certain streets. ' and have collected or been promised money to help to beautify these streets, j Several streets in Kemuera. one ill ] Mount Albert and one in Epsom are under consideration. The residents on • the Point Chevalier Road have been organised by one energetic lady into a vorking bee that shows the latent patriotism of the citizens if only they arc organised. The residents of the street are both doing the work und sharing the cost. This is a fine example of how things can be done. Each of these trees will be of personal interest to everyone residing in the street, and will therefore be protected. This form of civic activity is generally successful. Some years ago a certain street in a good residential portion of Christchurch was taken in hand liy its residents. Trees were planted, and the grass before each house mown at the same time as the lawn. The street became a garden, protected by its inhabitants, and kept up at no rost to the rates. It took only a little labour on the part of eacli householder. Examples of this can be seen on Calliope Road. Devonport. but it is done only in n haphazard manner. Public opinion should bo so strong as to make such work universal and regular. The great need of Auckland is a really live sentiment for beauty in the city. At present | Auckland is beautiful in spots —and hide- j ously ugly in larger spaces. There are i places in Auckland, rubbish tips and so ; forth, which would not be tolerated a moment in any other city in New Zealand. Even congested Wellington possesses nothing of the sort. The real need of Auckland is an energetic Beantifving Society: not an association with n few mouldy ideas drawn from old-time sources, but a society that will appreciate the wondrous beauty of Auckland's situation nnd of our native flora, and try to inculcate a national feeling about our own plants. Wo hope to be a nation some day. Let ih see to it that as a nation we nre national, and love beauty. The Civir league is striving in one of its branches to wake vp public opinion on thns subject of our native flora, and the hideousness of the waste places in Auckland, and they have received sympathy from the City Council: but it is the woman citizen who can. and should, put her shoulder to the wheel in this matter and help to make her larger home beautiful. That is a woman's pri- \ Urge.