A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 65, 17 March 1934, Page 3 (Supplement)

A MAID IN MAYFAIR.

PRINCESS AND POLITICS. NEW OPENINGS FOR WOMEN. (From Our London Lady Corresnondent.) Amongst the many admirers of Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald must be included, I hear, the little Princess Elizabeth. She has often encountered the Prime Minister, both indoors and outdoors, for both of them are fond of taking exercisc in Hyde Park. Invariably, when tliey meet, there is a little intimate conversation. The Princess follows Mr. Ramsay Mac Donald's doings to the extent of studying any Press photographs that appear in the journals she is permitted to see, and she also takes a keen interest in the political cartoonists' portrayals of her friend. Indeed, she probably knows more about these than does the Prime Minister himself. If she comes across one that specially excites her, though, of course, any political innuendo is quite lost on the young Princess, she will be sure to mention it in her talks with the subject of the sketch. This always amuses Mr. Mac Donald, and he is still more tickled by his little friend's very quaint sayings about people and events. SOCIETY SHOPKEEPERS. I am afraid tnat some of the society girls who act as assistants at those extremely expensive little shops in Mayfair, or open such shops on their own account, arc not doing quite as well as they hoped. Their trouble is that, in most instances, they have had no experiences whatever in the work. Instead of going through the mill at one of the big shops, and learning all there is to learn about the particular business they intend to start, they plunge headlong into the venture, sink a good deal of money in the enterprise—and lose the lot unless they have the good luck to find a really efficient assistant from one of the London suburbs. I have heard people complain, who patronise these shops, that when they made their purchase no one knew how to pack it up, and no one was capable of making out the bill. In some instances the addition was ludicrous, involving a heavy loss to the shopkeeper herself if her attention had not been called to the mistake. A FLYING FAMILY. Lady Londonderry and her daughters are having a wonderful time in Egypt, while Lord Londonderry is carrying out his survey of our air stations in the Near East. One good result of his tour of inspection already seems probable, for the Air Ministry is not at all satisfied in

that link of the chain between Paris and Brindisi which connects up London with Karachi, and the service may be diverted via Marseilles in view of the difficulty of obtaining necessary concessions from Italy. While Lord Londonderry lias been | visiting Iraq and India, Lady Londonderry and her daughters have had an air trip to Jerusalem and Syria. They have their headquarters at Mena House Hotel. They are all very keen indeed on flying, and will be visiting Luxor and Assuan before they return to England. TRADE RECOVERY. Chance threw me to day in the company of some of the leaders of the great drapery businesses of the country. They were all members of one big combine, and they were unanimous in their agreement that the Christmas trade has been the best for several years past. The head of one of the great London stores mentioned that, on the Saturday before Christmas Day, they had not a single box of chocolates nor a single box of crackers left in the whole establishment. They had to turn customers away to seek them elsewhere. And, whereas most shops sell off their Christmas remainders in the early days of January, they find : on this occasion that the "remainders" are so negligible as to be scarcely worth attention For the Winter sales, now in full swing, a completely new stock ; has had to be obtained. All this is cheering news. It means that money is , circulating healthily once more, and the effects of this minor Christmas boom will go pulsating through the arteries of industry all over the country. ELECTRICAL HOMES. In preparation for careers as demonstrators and saleswomen in the electrical industry, many girl students from the London Polytechnics, I am told, are now ( taking practical instruction in electrical housecraft kitchens as part of a twelve months' training. It is a career which is opening up new possibilities for women, and it is now being placed on a professional basis. A few hundred are already employed, and the number is steadily increasing as the scope for women doing this work is improving. There is a growing demand for trained and experienced women at salaries ranging from : about £150 to £400 a year. Tlio work is : interesting to the secondary and high s school class of girl with the right per- i sonality. A new type of woman is being produced by the trend _ of modern mechanisation who delights in the laboui- ] saving gadgets of the electrical home. (

ON THE RIVIERA. Things are really looking up somcwliat < on the°Riviera. The real rush does not start, so far as the English contingent . is concerned, until pleasure-seekers move , on from the winter sports to the sun- , shine and blue waters of the Cote d Azur But bookings for the end of the month ] are encouraging, despite the fact that the value of the franc is still something of an intimidation. The usual round or gaieties in the way of battles of flowers and lawn tennis tournaments is being ■ arranged, though, so far as lawn tennis is concerned, Monte Carlo, which now has no fewer than 22 courts available for tournament play, is finding the competition of Bermuda rather severe. -But on the whole, the Riviera will be a much pleasanter place to go to this year an it was even two or three years ago. iht main trunk road linking up the principal resorts is now brilliantly lit. Moreover, play at the gaming table is no longer confined to Monte Carlo. At Cannes roulette and trente-et-quarante are botn played.

BACK-TO-FRONT COATS. The dress shows have not started in earnest yet, but already some smaTt and practical new notions have been launched by well-known designers. Perhaps the most interesting innovation is the back-to-front coat for wear when motoring. The usual coat, however warm, has an unhappy knack of falling away from be knees and leaving them to get stiff witn cold as the car races along. So the oiaer of fastening has been reversed. The coat is put 011 like an overall and wrapped over at the back. A scarf slipped through slots keeps it secure at the back 01 t e neck, and there is a wide belt to hold it in place at the waist. I foresee a \ ogue for this type of coat, among men as well as women, once people become aware of it. The original model is in wolfbrown soft tweed.