AMONG OURSELVES

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 147, 22 June 1923, Page 9

AMONG OURSELVES

A WEEKLY BUDGET.

(By CONSTANCE CLYDE.)

WOMEN M.P.'S AGAIN.

Mrs. Philipson's success at the English polls has shown up the interesting fact I that all the three women members now in Parliament have taken seats formerly occupies by their husbands. They have ■been put : .:. more from compliment than ■from 'conviction, cays one writer. Still, there has been a reiteration or the compliment, which is rather an excess ol politeness surely. Another writer speaks as if somehow the men's rather than the women's vote is responsible for the I returns. "The woman M.P. has not got her own sex behind her," is the mournful comment. Still, if she has the men behind her, that will do very well. A voter is a voter, and as yet, the man voter in numbers preponderates in England. Mrs. Wintringham is reported as being ensaged in 'the useful and feminine work of pleading in the House for a remission on 'the duty on food rather than on beer. Tea is specially mentioned as a commodity to be lightly taxed. The Labour party asked that the duty be reduced from 8d to Id, the National Liberals ask for the figure to be 4a, while the Independent Liberals affirm that they -will submit to sd, the last ideal being considered the most sensible. The Labour party's extreme proposal would have in fact no chance of acceptance. Mrs. Philipson's election to l'ailiament has been extremely popular, and . .both she and the other two women members seem to enjoy Parliamentary life. As a matter of fact the Englishwoman is a born politician. The same cannot quite be saU of the American woman. For instance, Miss Edith Willman, first and only woman legislator in Texas, declares the job is a thankless one. Long hours, hard work, poor pay, and carping criticism have been her lot, anu , meanwhile her law practice is vanishing. This statement ie directed to Australian women, who are alleged to be eager to attain seats in Parliament.

UNIVERSITY WAYS. Cambridge, it will be remembered, etill does not permit women to be members on its council. The House of Lords has now appointed 'two commissions to help in considering new ideals in the two universities, Cambridge and Oxford. Aβ repards giving women complete equality in the former, the Cambridge commission has no power. Lord Ernie stated that the "idea of giving women equality in university affairs, eimply because they paid the fiaine taxes as men, was a most dangerous one." Evidently the noble peer's interpretation of Nietsehe's celebrated "Live dangerously" is rather a mild one. It is interesting to note by the way that a Mrs. Dawson, an American woman, has founded two schokrships for undergraduates of Oxford or Cambridge, or for graduates of recent date, theee' scholarships giving a year at either Yale or Harvard or Princeton. Possibly this may be intended to give tne young Englishman a chance of acquiring wider views in the newer land.

EBFORMERS AND HOMES.

According to the recent cables the authorities in their new housing schemes have not adopted the ideal that parlours and bathrooms arc necessities of life. From criticism in 'the Home journals we see tTia.t reformers, especially the women, have been making a brave fight to have the new homes for the poor provided with these two adjuncts. Strangely enough it is the pa-rlour, not the .bathroom that they concern 'themselves with most. Aβ Tegarde the latter, in fact anyone who has really lived in England knows that there are two axioms which seem to rule the people. First that "a great deal can 'be done -with a basin of water," wWch is undoubtedly true; second, that when a bathroom is installed, coals or other goods are kept in it, which, as regards the first generation, is undoubtedly also correct. In fact, just ac it was said toy our fathers that it "takes three generations to make a gentleman" we might say it "takes three to learn how to use a bathroom." The first uses it as a gigantic coal scuttle, the second as a 'topic of conversation, while the third washes in it. Concerning parlours, however, there is a strong consensus of opinion. The Manchester women, for instance, as regards their own city have been taking the statements of the working 'women themselves "who already possess parlours as to their need. Out of 445 all but 90 declared that they used these rooms daily, and of the minority a large proportion declared that non-use was owing to their not being furnished. Asked as to their reasons for desiring a parlour, the large majority stressed the pleasantness of "sitting in a room where there were no meals," while most of the remainder pointed out that without a place away from the noisier of the -children father would make 'his way to the publichouse. The ibar parlour is certainly not on its way yet to abolishment in England.-

GIRL IMMIGRATION. The question of sending .young women out to the colonies ie becoming more insistent in England. New Zealand, as well ac Australia and Canada is coming more to the fore in this respect. Sir John Norton Griffiths, PD-S-0., M.P., has been speaking very sensibly on the subject. Naturally they)would prefer to i keep their young women in England, he said, but it was tlift fault of the nation itself that t'hev could not do so. As an instance he mentioned tlia-t if Englishmen would buy motor cars of English instead of foreign make it would mean the employment of many more young girls, and 60 of other industries. However, they would not do so. and thus the girls must go. H« advocated family migration himself, and considered that the mayors of English towns should get into communication with colonial mayors in order to form plans that would suit that particular district. The sending out of young girle on their own is not popular with moet people. As a matter of fact it is when a girl is over twenty and has perhaps found England not very satisfactory that she is most likely to do well on her own. She has acquired sense and is desirous to find the new land suitable without looking bnck. Otherwise family migration is the most to be commended.