MIDGET SUB.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 221, 18 September 1942, Page 2

MIDGET SUB.

FINE WORKMANSHIP

AUSTRALIA IX WARTIME

(0.C.) NEW PLYMOUTH, this day

"If the midget submarine I saw in Sydney is a sample of Japanese workmanship we have got to be up and doing,'' stated Mrs. E. L. Hidd of Melbourne, in an interview. Mrs. Ridd in Sydney saw the submarine when it was on display. It was welded, with not a rivet in it, she said, and made in three parts, a beautiful piece of workmanship. The blackout in Xew Plymouth was far more rigid than in Melbourne and Sydney, she said. People in Australia had lost that "fear complex which had taken hold of manv after Japan's entry into the war. In Melbourne she noticed a greater spirit of friendliness among people. It was as if adversity had drawn them together in a closer comradeship.

Bridge parties were seldom held in Australia now except for patriotic funds, said Mrs. liidd-. The war had nad an effect in diverting social activities to this purpose. Lavish refreshments were a thing of the past, and afternoon teas, instead of comprising a wide assortment were now restricted to two varieties onlv. Because of the austerity regulations ♦ lo clothin S- no more frocks with pleats were being manufactured except in O.S. sizes, and to save materia! the length was just below the knees. Trimmings were restricted, as well as the number of buttons. Women who made their own clothes, however, could choose their styles. \\ aistcoats were prohibited for men. The large wages being earned bv W( > r kers were commented i-T) ' l(ifl - Men earned from 11- to 114 a week with overtime included. she said, and women who were willing to work overtime also had high rates of pay.