WOMEN ABROAD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 13, 16 January 1940, Page 9

WOMEN ABROAD.

SUCCESS IN MANY FIELDS.

The Swedish Rikstag recently appointed a woman vice-president of its second Laws Committee.

In Russia recently a woman was admitted to full membership of the Academy of Science. * • • •

The first woman to be appointed to the Diplomatic Servicfe of Hungary has recently <41 ken up office. She is the daughter of the Minister of Justice.

An amazing achievement in the realm of knitting is claimed by a Sydney woman, Mrs. T. Maynard Furber, of Point Piper, who averages a sock a day, and has made 40 pairs since war was declared. During the last war Mrs. Furber made 600 pairs of socks for soldiers.

The Sub-Commissioner of Railways in Denmark is Anna Vestergaard, an intellectual woman of athletic appearance. She began her career as a shunter, later became a stationmaster, and was finally appointed to an administrative position, which she filled so well that she was made Sub-Commissioner. She will probably be appointed Chief Commissioner shortly.

Women of Finland have always exerciser a great influence on the cultural development of their country. The national opera in Helsinki has a very able woman director, Mde. Aclite Jalander. Her daughter, Glovy Leppouen, is director and stage manager of one of the finest theatres in the country, and Mile. Gerda Wrede is stage manager at the National Theatre at Helsinki.

In July last, Law on the Arbitration of Domestic Disputes became effective in Japan. In Tokyo 25 women have been appointed by the president of the district court to serve aa mediating commissioners under this new law. This is the first time Japanese women have been given any kind of judicial power. With men colleagues they will hear cases of dispute brought before them. °•• • •

Miss D. Tangney, 8.A., of Perth, haa been selected as one of the three endorsed Labour candidates for the next Senate elections. A State-wide ballot was held by. the W.A. section of the A.L.P. for the selection of candidates. Miss Tangney contested a State election in March last against a strong opponent with credit. A young woman who is keenly : interested in public affairs.

Professor May L. Whitsitt, at the ninety-eighth meeting in Boston, U.S.A., recently of the American Chemical Society, at a symposium on "Training and Opportunities for Women in Chemistry," ably defended women's claims to equality of opportunity and service. "Any individual or group endeavouring to thwart the development of human personality is a detriment to himself and to society. Insofar as such an effort is successful, so far is progress of all the people retarded," she said. • • • •

Miss Nellie Stewart, of Perth, who was a delegate to the Copenhagen Congress, was the guest of the Women 8 Service Guilds at luncheon on her return, and spoke of congress and a world trip as an amazing experience. The power of Hitler; said Miss Stewart, had grown from the distress in Germany during the past 20 years. The women of Germany had hoped that women everywhere would do what they could to stave off war. In the course of her trip she had been impressed on more tha none occasion by the work accomplished by women in various walks of life, inspired by the driving force of a selfless spiritual love. Such people were getting on with the business of the world.

It is not generally known that Madame Violet Erkko, wife of the Finnish Foreign Minister, is an Englishwoman born in Russia, of a Yorkshire family named Suchelitfe. Madame Erkko left Russia with her family (luring the Revolution. They settled in Ivondon, and there Miss* SuchclilTe met and married M. Erkko, who \vas then attached to the Finnish Legation. When the trouble with Russia came Madame Erkko left Helsinki with the last of the evacuees. She went to a village, the name of which is a State secret; a village that will be the seat of the Finnish Government during the war.