WOMEN'S WORLD.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 152, 29 June 1926, Page 17

WOMEN'S WORLD.

SOCIAL JOTTINGS,

Mrs. F. Marshall, Lower Hutt, is visiting Auckland. Miss Richardson, a daughter of Sir George Richardson, of Samoa, is a guest at Government House, Wellington.

Mrs. Leo Maney (Miss Mina Arndt) Nelson, lias received the gratifying news that a picture of hers as been hung at the Tarn "Salon." Mrs. Arthur Griffiths and Miss Dorothy Griffiths have left for Rotorua. Mrs. Griffiths is acting as elocutionary judge at xhe competitions. The Stanley Bay day school on Saturday evening presented a bright appearance for Mrs. C. M. Browne's social evening in aid of the new St. Augustine Church building fund. All the classrooms had been converted to cards, dancing and amusements rooms, and in the benagged entrance porch a display of prizes proved a great attraction to the crowds of visitors. The "bridge" and "500"' rooms each had a large complement of players. A voluntary orchestra played, and several vocal items were rendered between dances. In another section "R.V.'s," "Eziwin" and "Al's" quoits proved popular attractions for the young. The attendance was about 200. A silk dressing jacket and boudoir cap was won by Rev - M. A. Niblock in one competition". The supper was very successful. As a result of Mrs. C. M. Browne's evening, the church building fund will benefit by a sum of £75. Several similar benefit evening 3 have been most successfully given by other ladies of the district.

The unhealthy condition of garbage in the suburbs "was again brought forward at the meeting of the National Council of Women last evening. It was stated that in Mount Eden a family of six had to bury the garbage* in the garden because there was a collection only once a week. Dr. Staley said that in Remuera the collection of garbage was shockingly unhygienic. When tins were being emptied "the dust went all over the 'road. Then the tin was thrown over the fence. The method was fifty years behind other cities. The speaker suggested closed carts into which the tin fitted and discharged its rubbish and modern methods. Miss Basten mentioned that the matter had been brought forward by herself twelve months ago, and the collection had been improved in the city. She believed the town clerk had been asked to inquire into modern methods when abroad. Another speaker said that the One Tree Hill district had only a collection once a week, and she did" not see why, when motor traffic was so useful, that slow horsedrawn vehicles should be used. Another member said Parnell had a collection twice a week, and the men did not throw the tins over the fence. For the sake of the men alone some better system should be established. People should be expected to wrap up all their rubbish in paper before putting it into the tins, and a good deal of it was the fault of the. housewife. Dr. Staley reminded the speaker that it was difficult to make people considerate and hygenic by law. Dr. Sylvia Chapman, in her talk about her travels at the Women's Common Room at Victoria College, Wellington, mentioned meeting a .very interesting, woman in Norway, Professor.Rechtec. and the first woman to hold such a position as Professor of Romanic Languages. She found in Norway a '"Woman's Public Health Association, which was first begun to provide for possible war emergencies, or for epidemics, disastrous fires, etc., but which has developed into a great organisation with a great work, that of providing for the treatment and prevention of tubercular disease, and runs about thirty hospitals for adults and children. Dr. Chapman was full of admiration for the work of this, association.

NATIONAL COUNCIL. A meeting of the National Council of Women, Auckland branch, took place last evening in the rooms of the Overseas Club, where there was a large gathering of delegates and honorary members. The president, Dr. Hilda Northcroft, occupied the chair and welcomed Miss Christie, delegate from the International Bible Study Association, and also mentioned that the South Avondale Women's Association intended to affiliate.

The matter of the appointment of a woman to interview women seeking relief at the hospital was brought forward by Sister Hannah. It was explained that the Hospital Board had been written to on the subject, but so far no reply had been received. The subject of gas rings on the beaches for the use of mothers and children was again brought forward. Members who had been visiting Dunedin recently stated that on the Dunedin beaches a mother could heat enough water for her children for a penny in the slot, and it was hoped that a move to provide the Auckland beaches would be made by .the local Gas Company and the local bodies. One member remarked that there were over a dozen in Dunedin, and another mentioned that Caroline Beach at Timaru had also about a dozen in constant use.

Child welfare was brought forward by Mrs. Nellie E. Ferner. who said that the chief interest of women should be the child, especially as there was a new Welfare Act now in operation. She suggested that specialists be asked to address a conference, when every organisation that sent delegates to the council could attend. Dr.. Staley said it was a timely motion, as the British Medical Association reported, on the authority of the medical school inspectors, that S3 per cent of the children in the New Zealand schools showed defects, and SO r.er cent of those in the kindergartens showed signs of ricketts. It was a very bad sign in this young country and" came from shutting the children away from the sunshine in big concrete schools and excluding the violet rays of the sun. It was a painful and dreadful record for New Zealand. Dr. Buckley drew attention to the gap in child life between the Plunket work and school life. Parents needed instruction to be able to look after the children; they lacked knowledge about health Dr. Northcroft said that was one of the subjects that the Quintennial Conference at Washington had laid before them. The conference -held that this state of the children was the great need of the age. They should suggest practical things that could be done, and done now. Mental defectives were being looked after, but the normal children' wanted to be studied as well.

The president asked the members to study Eleanor Rathbone's book, "The Disinherited Family," to see if there could not be some scheme formulated which would apply to New Zealand to help those who had children to support.

The following honorary members were appointed: Mesrlamps Harrison. Campbell. T>. Donald. Roatley, East..l.eatliam, and Misses S. E. Jackson, Wilson and Tremaine.

AROUND THE TEA TABLE

MATTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST.

(By SHIRLEY.)

An Australian magazine has a portrait of the Greek girl who g°t into prison for her short skirt, -wearing the incriminating garment in question. She looks such a nice, sweet, young creature that one wonders that even those stern descendants of Lycurgus, Solon, and all the other unpleasant people that got the Greeks into the law-making habit, could ever have had the heart. The skirt that gaoled her would arouse no comment in our own Queen Street police, except for being rather long. However, the Hungarian women, also, it seems, are starting a league for more modesty in dress, so evidently in that part of Europe the idea is catching.

What New Zealanders have resented this season is the coldness of the short skirt in winter. "I feel quite a difference -when I put on my old-fashioned longer skirt these chill mornings, quite warm and comfortable. And yet the short skirt is what we want; also stockings can't be made thicker. It looks as .if " and a -wistful look came into her eyes as she watched her husband stamp out-side, well-clothed beneath the knee.

Well, it is said to be coming, curiously enough, however, only for evening dress, the time when it is not needed. That is, men's evening dress is being advocated for -women's evening wear, only the coat being made tunic form, and to the knees. At the same time, men with their jumpers seem to be sporting colours more suitable for us. I know women in Auckland -who cast envious eyes on their husband's' jumpers, only, unfortunately, men seem to" like theirs v-shaped, instead of square-neck. Otherwise, a number of. women -would patronise the men's shops—at some saving to their pockets. Soon, as an Australian poet feelingly observes, there -will come the time when things .will right themselves by chang-. ing—when "Sue is quite the gentleman, and Sam a perfect lady."

Dunedin women are in the throes of an argument re rest rooms for mothers. Lucky town, it is to have two. One seems to" be already established, in the

Gardens, a relic of the Exhibition, while the second, run by the municipality, is to be in or near the centre of that flourishing city. Somehow or other, mothers' rest rooms tend to get near soldiers' memorials, and this Dunedin establishment seems destined to fulfil the usual destiny. We in Auckland have a sacred City Square — what that is to us the Octagon is to the Southern city. "Hands off the Octagon" is the slogan as far as this second roorh is concerned." For some reason or other, mothers are not to rest there.

So something, also geometrical, is to be the place appointed, the Triangle, of which some ex-Dunedinites have a dim recollection. Because they are not to have the Octagon, however, women are hankering after it. They say it is so convenient for mothers with their babies, and put forward other unreasonable views. When will women learn that they really are not citizens —especially if mothers?

In another of our cities, come of the local dancers took finishing lessons from one or t-wo of the Russian performers, the instructions hampered a little by confusion of tongues. How docs one like, for instance, being advised to "hold the corpus straight"? However, it might have been worse, one syllable, instead of two.

The corpus is held straight most of tie time for the Charleston, which our Prince of Wales is trying his best to popularise. One foot to the right, then to the left, then a rocking motion, after -which a rest, and progress forward once more. Some introduce what is called "a squiggle." The great danger, however, seems to be that "inexpert dancers find themselves standing still, and so holding up the whole room."' If all performers stood still, from beginning to end, I should say it would be an excellent dance.

So Mrs. Corbett Ashby and others, presiding over a Homeland Conference, consider that encouragement should be given rather to educated women than to miere domestics for migration to this Dominion. Well, perhaps When these educated women come out, and find they can't be this or that, they may manage to stir us up a little. The Homeland woman to-day is usually more vigorous and breezy, more "colonial" than the colonial woman

herself. Such is. the whirligig of time, the "wheel coming full circle," and so forth. We look to her now, not to ourselves, to feel the "call of the wild," and "the battle cry of freedom."

Meanwhile our own women should try migrating to the Argentine, where an ex-Xew Zealand woman is having two joyful experiences. She has an ideal "maid," a boy servant, who does a good deal of work, and joyfully receives five shillings a week. Her daughter, again, aged 15, is taking a monthly pay envelope of £18. When she becomes a little advanced in her profession, typist and secretary, the envelope will budge more. No, living is not more expensive there than in our own colonies, so, at least, I am informed.

Advocates of the surprise packet must take a leaf out of the Christchurch records during war time. Delighted citizen receives an envelope entitling him to "a land section." Going for the deeds thereof, he is handed his Section, a matchbox containing a little earth. An old authority has said that it is as pleasant to be fooled as to fool, so here is our chance to think out comic gifts.

An old idea, anyway. Roman history tells us how one Suetonius, at the circus, -was informed that he had won "six steeds of surpassing swiftness" — and -was thereupon handed a small box, which, opened, let loose six common house flies. It was the custom then for rich winners, if they wanted a senatorship or votes, or something of that kind, to hand their winnings back to the people, and the house-fly owner gained some kudos, as his "steeds" circled about, by stating that he also had given his present back to the nation. He was probably called the Latin equivalent of good old sport.