CURRENT NOTES

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25811, 24 May 1949, Page 2

CURRENT NOTES

Mrs Gordon Mirams, formerly of Christchurch, a daughter of Archdeacon F. N. Taylor and Mrs Taylor, returned with her husband to Wellington recently from Paris, where Mr Mirams worked with the film section of UNESCO. She said on arrival in Wellington that she had attended a number of United Nations General Assembly sessions when she was in Paris. Mrs Mirams said that the translators were fascinating. Almost before one of the delegates had finished a sentence, the translation would be given in many different languages. The translators sat in separate little glassed-in cages, and each seat for delegates and visitors was provided with earph >nes and a tuning gadget. By turning a knob, Mrs Mirams said one could get a speech translated into almost any language. Mrs J. S. Kelly, a life member an 4 a committee member of the Canterbury Pilgrims and Early Settlers’ Association, who is leaving Christchurch soon to live in Nelson, was presented with a cheque at a meeting of the association on Saturday afternoon. A gift of flowers from the finance subcommittee of the association was also made to Mrs Kelly. “The infant mortality rate among white people was lower in 1948 than it has ever been. The figure was 21.9 per 1000 and I doubt if even Sweden can equal that,” said Miss Helen Chapman after her investiture at Government House recently. Miss Chapman, who has been charge nurse at the Auckland Plunket headquarters for 18 years, said that she had Just heard the figures. “The tremendous progress which has been made can be seen by comparing the new rate with that of 1911, when infant mortal’ity was about 60 or 70 per 1000. In 1947 it was 25.3,” she said. Although Mrs Sarah Anne Alcock, of Newmarket, Auckland, is quite certain she is 100 years old. her daughter, Mrs C. M. Hope Ede, is rather doubtful of her mother’s claim. Mrs Alcock, who was born at sea, arrived in New Zealand when she was only nine months old, and has lived in Auckland nearly all her life. She is an amazingly active woman. She does all her own messages, likes going to the pictures, an.i spends any spare time that she has in knitting or sewing. Mrs Alcock had 21 children. Six of her eight sons are still living and her 13 daughters arc all still alive. The children’s camp at the Ford Millton Home, Okuku, which was organised by the Sunlight League and sponsored by Heritage, broke up last Saturday. Twelve girls and boys were given lessons in riding on a pony lent to them by Noel Miles, and were taken on picnic excursions. - The excellent books lent by the Country Library Service documentary films sent from the National Film Library were much appreciated by the children. A cheque for £2 2s was sent to the Red Cross for parcels for children oversea, from the sale of cones the children had gathered while they were staying at Birch Hill, and a further 12 sacks of cones have been gathered ready for sale. Leslie Smith was elected the best girl citizen in the camp and the best boy citizen was Neville Parnell. Badges for deportment were won by Margaret Blackburn and Neville Parnell. Fashion news from Sydney gives grey as the outstanding colour for suits, and feathers as the favourite trimming for hats. The fashion of the season is the grey suit. Made of fine worsted or gaberdine, suits are designed with slim skirts or with fullness drawn to the back. Slit skirts are popular and some models have front buttonings the full length of the skirt. Yellow in all tones from chamois to canary, daffodil and lime is the most generally favoured accessory colour, but tan and black are also worn. Hats for all smart occasions are smothered in feathers, coque feathers, ostrich plumes, pheasant’s feathers and bird o< paradise plumage. It is expected that the feathered hat will soon fair from favour and be succeeded by the closefitting pixie hats with side drapes which are attractive to look at and comfortable to wear. Thirteen pairs of shoes for the Royal Family, <vhen they were in South Africa, were made by Mr E. Sovatsoglu. a shoe manufacturer in South Africa. According to a report published in Australia, the cost of the shoes was 100 guineas. The Queen first became awpre of Mr Sovatsoglu’s work when she admired the shoes of a South African Cabinet Minister’s daughter who was visiting Britain. The Queen inquired who the maker was. and sent a pair of her own shoes to South Africa for measuring. Mr Sovatsoglu said that the Queen and the Princesses preferred platform shoes of lizard, buckskin. and silver kjd. The unusual distinction of having had her needlework televised belongs to Mrs G. W. Sevs, an English visitor who is touring New Zealand. Fine needlework is Mrs Seys’ hobby, and she specialises in the working of colourful pictures. The annual conference of the New Zealand Women’s Division of Feder? afed Farmers will this year open on July 12 in Wellington. The Dominion president (Mrs Haldane) will preside. The lady editor of “The Press” gratefully acknowledges receipt of magazines from Mrs Frank Graham (Innes road) for patients in the" sanatorium.