WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 153, 29 June 1916, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT.

At .the Town Hall, Mrs. Crawford and assistants have been stock-taking during tho last few days, and making fresh lists of goods required. The business that goes on in connection with the Countess of Liverpool Fund is so great that this is a considerable task. Among other things, no fewer than 18,100 housewives have been made, packed, and sent away during six months; Wellington's contribution being 9000 brown and 100 green ones, the remainder being sent in from Canterbury and Auckland. These are all beautifully made now, and of the best material. A good number of cases of clothing have been packed and-sent to tho sailors' families, but Mrs. Luke would still be glad of good garments for children and adults.

The first batch of fifty_ ward suits for the use of convalescent soldiers has been sent out to Trentham from the Bed Cross Depot in Mercer-street. These suits aro very neat and smart in appearance, being of a dark grey colour, with a scarlet collar They are of washable material, and are worn with very warm underclothing, so that there is no risk of the convalescents taking cold in them. The work at the depot includes the making of excellent- dressing gowns, which should be a great comfort to invalids. An anonymous parcel of pyjama girdles was sent in yesterday, a large number being in the parcel, and they are beautifully knitted. It is suggested that, as this work needs little skill, there are still many people who could make them if they would, and a very large number will be needed.

The elementary bookkeeping class in connection with the Women's National Reserve, carried on by Miss Phoebe Myers, is doing good work. The general knowledge class -also owes a good deal to Mrs. Boden's energy and teaching. The signalling and rifle practice classes are well attended, and the enthusiasm keeps up, owing, no doubt, to a very great extent to the members' appreciation of the splendid voluntary work' done by the ladies and gentlemen in connection with these classes. Any interested citizens feeling inclined to donate small prizes for the- rifle classes are asked to communicate with Mrs. Porter, 'organising secretary of the Women's National Reserve.

Capt. Andrews, N.Z.M.C., has written to the Mayoress expressing his thanks, and those of the. invalid soldiers, for the piano and gramophone lately sent out to the hospital at Trentham;

Sirs. M'Vicar presided over the weekly meeting of the N.Z. Natives Association Ladies' Guild, which took place at the Natives' Hall last evening. The reports from the different committees were very satisfactory. Final arrangements were made for the guild's jumble sale, which is being held ■ this week, in aid of the dependents of the sailors who lost their lives in the recent North Sea fight. -Mrs. Bums was elected a member of the guild. The following resolutions, were unanimously carried :—" (1) That this meeting emphatically protests against tha provisions of the War Begulations Bill -that concern women, and urges the Government to make public the steps proposed to be taken for the suppression of prostitution and the prevention' of venereal disease." "(2) That this meeting- urges the Government to provide, without delay, freo dispensary and hospital treatment for all sufferers from these diseases 'who voluntarily present themselves for treatment, and also to institute a campaign of preventive education."

Tho engagement.is announced of Miss Nessie Thane, fourth daughter of Mr. W. T. Thane, of Wellington, to Mr. Alan Davey, eldest son of Mr. Henton Davey, of Dunedin. Mr. Davey is a member of the 14th Reinforcements.

The fortnightly meeting of the Wellington Nursing Division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas was held last night, and a good evening was spent in bandnginsj. The president, Mrs. W. H. Sefton -Moorhouse, was present.

: Mis. W. Kennedy left for a short visit to Wanganui this morning.

His Excellency the Governor (Lord Liverpool) has received the following telegraphic appeal from the Marquis of Lansdowne and the Earl of Plymouth, as representing the British lied Cross Society and the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in England, which His Excellency hopes will meet with the-' same generous response as did the appeal of last year, when the contributions from New Zealand amounted to £17,684 lis 6d :—

•'I have the honour to inform you that tlie British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John are once more proposing to appeal through, the Empire 'by street and other collections upon 'Our Day,' which has been fixed for 19th October. The money received will be devoted entirely to our wound.d soldiers and sailors from home and overseas at the various seats of war. The generous response, which we received last year from all parts of the King's Dominions encourages us to hope that the constantly increasing demands for our help may be met by a corresponding increase of generosity throughout the Empire. We shall he truly grateful to you, if you will assist our work by organising an appeal and sending the proceeds to us for the sick and wounded at the front. Their Majesties the King and Queen and Her Majesty Queen Alexandra are giving us their graceful patronage, and they trust that you will also be able to see" your way to help us in the same splendid manner as you did last year, and that we may have the invaluable assistance also of Lady Liverpool." It is particularly requested that all sums collected in response to the above appeal be forwarded to the Under-Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, for transmission to the Marquis of Lansdowne.

A- new device' in telling fortunes by cards has been tried by a Christchurch lady, says a writer in an exchange. She uses the cards invented since war time in which the royalties ■of each card represent living Kings and Queens. After duly shuffling the cards, she spread them out according to the rules, and it was -really a strange fact that shuffle them later as she would there always came out (most satisfactorily from one point of view) imprisonment for the Kaiser and tears for the Kionprinz. The King and Queen of the Belgians, on the other hand, always came out together with heart- cards (affection) round them. There is, however, a strange and unexpected happening before the King of the Belgians. * According to the cards the Kaiser's "thoughts" are that he is triumphant, but a letter or message will come which will disabuse his mind of this idea. Also, cards indicating civil strife are around him, *nd he "'turns his back" upon victory. Superstition is to be discouraged, but " telling the Kaiser's fortune" by cards should be quite a popular pastime if it always comes outlike 'this.

Mrs. Varnev will be in charge at the Triangle Depot at the V.M.C.A. Building on Friday, and Mesdames Waterhouse and Montague on Saturday

The workers at the St. John Ambulance and Red Cross depots, in Nathan's Buildings, sent away 26 cases and 15 bales of goods last week. There were a large number of bandages, nearly 2C0O; also ten cases of invalid food, and shirts, pyjamas, and dressing gowns. The committee received some very welcome and efficient help from the Tramway Division of St. John lately, as they attended at the rooms and made many dozens of bandages.

The jumble sale, promoted by the Native Ladies' Guild, will be opened tomorrow .and continued on Saturday.

Numeious patrons of tea shops and restaurants in London are finding the extra charges now imposed a serious addition to their cost of living. Girls and the less well-to-do men working in the city have, it is stated, had to alter their dietary arid select less substantial items than formerly from the bill of fare, not being able to afford an extra twopence for meat, dishes, in addition, to the penny charged for every-'cup of coffee and the halfpenny for every cup of tea, milk, and every portion of bread and butter, cake, or stewed fruit. It is strongly urged (says a London paper) that tea, coffee,* and milk, and bread and butter have been made to bear an unjust share of the caterer's extra charges. "I have tested a pound of tea," said a critical patron, "and find I can obtain 120 teaspoonfuls of tea from it. Therefore I can make at least 100 cups of tea without stinting the teapot. At an extra halfpenny a cup the 'teashop can thus make an additional 4s 2d on every pound of tea used. A leading caterer has excused himself on the ground that he had to pay lOd a pound more. Even so,' he would be making a clear extra profit of. 3s 4d over and above his former profit. That far more than covers the extra cost of the milk and sugar, which, moreover, a large number of people nowadays refrain from using." Tliis same critic has made other calculations. He states that ten customers can be served from one pound of cooked ham. As 'twopence extra is charged on each bill for this item, the caterer receives Is 8d more on every pound. A 41b loaf, according to the same .'authority, yielded 48 large slices, which at a penny a slice brings the tea shop sale pnce to the handsome total of 4s. Allowing a pound of butter at Is 8d per pound, the return is even then 2s 4<l. Further, a 31b sultana cake was bought for 2s and cut up. 'It gave thirteen pieces that, retailed in the tea shop at 2_d each, would bring in 2s S^d to the caterer, of which 6^d represents the extra charge now imposed at the rate of a halfpenny a piece. These calculations, on being submitted to the secretary and general manager of a,well-known company, drew from him the following statement: —"The answer lies in a little reflection. '1 canr not think of a single item,\ from the cost of foodstuffs to the price of gas or tablecloths or cutlery, that has not been dearer to us. There. is a general increase to us of ,60 per cent, over pre-war charges, whereas our increased prices are not halt of that. Sonn.- economies have been effected, but the fact is we have not made up the difference, The extra charge for tea and coifee covers oilier charges as well. Sugar that was about 18s before the war is now 47s l£d. Batter has gone rip fully 50 ' per cent. The price of milk'has doubled. Gas—a very important, item with us—has seriously advanced., and so has coal; furniture, cutlery, glass, and all. mechanical equipment are dearer. Labour is much more expensive ■ China, a heavy item, is 40 per cent. up. Dried fruit has enormously advanced, and that is another important item. ISo that from first to last we are spending more on everything. The calculations yon mention are tjuitc .(inadequate. Our customers would never '•stand tea of which we made 100 cups 1 from a pound of leaf."