WOMEN IN PRINT.

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 138, 11 June 1918, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT.

Ifc was very pleasant to see the Soldiers' Club at Sydney-street well filled with gueste yesterday afternoon and evening, as many visitors availed themselves of the invitation of the 'Committee and were present at tea and during the evening. The rooms looked very bright and cheerful, with blazing fires, and tea tables set with pretty flowers and many good things. Mrs. Nathan was the hostess in the tearoom, and wat. assisted by Mrs. C. Earle (hon. secretary), Mrs. L. Blundell, Mm. Moorhouse, Mrs. H. Hall, Lady Stout, and a number of other members of the committee, as well as many girl assistants. Dancing took place during the evening, as well as Bonae amusing, games instituted by the visitors, who heartily cheered the hostesses, and expressed themselves as being very pleased at the hospitality shown, them. A dance will take place at the club this evening, and it is hoped that the visitors and local men will be present in great numbers.

Although much work is attached to the "running" of the Copper Trail, many pleasures come abso to the organisers in the way of unexpected and kindly help. Yesterday a party of soldiers, in passing the little chalet-headquarters, called in to enquire what it was all about. They were most interested on being told the scheme, and promptly put down all their Own available money ..in pennies, and also asked passers by to'assist. The result was that they nlled up the remaining space on the boards, and then formed the Red Cross in pence, and their own regimental badge and number. They intend to return to-day, -when a photograph will be taken. It was altogether a very happy episode. The organisers, Mesdames Pearce and Wilford, report thai the trail of copper in the railway line to Auckland has passed the Thorndon Esplanade, and has actually reached the KLhandallah railway station, a distance of 8800 yards, or five miles. This took no fewer than 264,000 pennies, there being thirty pennies to a yard. A really splendid response for a five days' appeal. The Auckland trail passed Newmarket early in the contest, gained Eemuera on Saturday morning, and on Saturday night had reached Green Lane, four miles from Auckland, or 7040 yards. Thus the end of the first week finds Wellington a mile in the lead.

A meeting of the Girls' Literary and Social Club took place at the Pioneer Club last evening, when Mrs. J. D. Gray was in the chair. A debate took place on the subject: "Is a business girl or a home girl likely to make the best homemaker?" Miss Shand championed the business girl's point of view, and Miss Sheila Mackenzie that of the home girl, and after a well-sustained debate, in which good points were made, on both sides, the voting was in favour of the business girl. Those taking part in the debate were the Misses P. Bates, Weims, Stanley, J. Mackenzie, and Meadows. The evening was>a ver_y pleasant and successful one,' and it was agreed to have a social evening next time, with music, recitations, and a reading.

Mrs. Kircher and Mrs. Green, of Seatoun, will be in charge of the Red Cross Shop, Woodward-street, on Wednesday.

Miss Statham, Government Inspector of Soldiers' Graves, is in Wellington at present, and will confer with the Graves Committee of the Women's National Reserve this week, with regard to the proposed soldiers' cemetery at Karori. Miss Statham is staying at Kenilworth.

At St. Thomas's Church, on the Ist June, Private T. Craddock, 38th Reinforcements, formerly of Cambridge, Waikato, was married to Miss Inez Read, of Parawai, Thames. A few relatives only were present at the ceremony, and were entertained afterwards at the residence of the bride's brother, Mr. F. Read, of Kilbirnie. The Rev. W. Fancourt officiated at the ceremony.

The wedding of a member of the Main Body N.Z.E.F., Mr. A. C. Holt Collins, eldest son of Mr. Collins, of Napier, to Miss Maude Victoria M'Gonagle, youngest daughter of Mr. Robert M'Gonagle, of Levin, took place in St. Mary's Church, Levin, on 3rd June. Miss Olive Clare and two litle girls, Misses Dawn M'Gonagle and Claire Childs, were the bridesmaids, and Mr. Gerald Howes, of Napier, was the best man. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Mr. Ford-Hutehison.

A good entertainment was given ]a«t evening! at the Church of England Institute, Trontham, by the Victoria League Concert Party, when there waa a large and enthusiastic audience. An opportunity was given, to view the waiting-room for soldiers' relatives and friends, which is attached to the institute. This is most comfortably furnished 1 with easy chairs, couches, tab-lea, and a heating stove. Pictures adorn the walls, and it is a cheery and artistic room, and on many occasions is filled with the wives and' other relatives of soldiers, who are very glad to avail themselves of the comfort and shelter this afforded.

Mr. and Mrs. Norman Burton, of Auckland, are in Wellington at present.

Mis. Ziele, of Napier, is paying avisit to Wellington.

Miss Straehan is temporarily editing the Westport News, in the absence' of her brother, Mr. S. Stracban.

Miss Alma Perry will be appointed assistant secretary to Miss Kate Morrison in connection with the Anglican Church Schools movement in. Masterton.

An interesting letter -vvas read at Thursday's meeting of the local branch of the Christchurch Navy League from the Ladies' Emergency Committee of the league, regarding the treatment of prisoners of war (says an exchange). The letter etatedl that the regulations of the Central Prisoners of War Committee required the sending of six parcels of food per man per month, each weighing 101b. The cost of these to-day was 9s 6d eachl in England. This did not include bread (the cost of which was 10s per month), clothing, tobacco, drags, etc., so that actual expenses worked out a.t about £1 Is per man per week. In May, 1915, the prisoners numbered 25, and now there were 600 in Germany, Austria, and Turkey. The increasing number of men, with the rising prices of all commodities, added greatly to the difficulty of the Ladies' Emergency Committee. The letter concluded with a eulogy of the manner in which the league had sent forward supplies, and the great joy with which such parcels were received. It was decided that the secretary should reply in terms of what tho league was now doing. Women in Finland* do more than attend the stalls in the market or the washing along the streams. They are. seen spading flower beds in. the public parks and cleaning tho streets. With huge brooms they march along and sweep the streets us thoroughly as the men might do. It is nothing unusual to see women carpenters or plasterers at work on new buildings. Even bricklaying and paperhanging have their female professionals. In fact, it is a country where women's right* are fully respected. Tho position of women in Finland savours of America. The property rights of the two sexes are exactly the same. For a number of years they have had equal suffrage, and more than a score of women ■have bewi mornimrs of the j)(itlor\«Ji k'jjiaJative .body, known as the jDiet*

Mme. Alexander Kollantay, former commissioner of social welfare and the only woman honoured by the Bolsheviks with a Cabinet position, has returned to Moscow after an unsuccessful attempt to enter Western Europe to make a general crusade on behalf of international Socialism. Armed with many tons of literature and accompanied by twelve assistants, she tried to get to Sweden through Finland, but Finnish White Guards turned the party back. Going to Helsingfors the party embarked on a small ship convoyed by a Russian warship. The commander of the warship was not in sympathy with the crusade and led the other ship into a minefield, where he abandoned it. Mme. Kollantay and her party found refuge on icefloes which drifted ashore on the Aland Islands. Here they were arrested by Swedish troops, who finally released them when a threat was made that all Swedes in Russia would be arrested in retaliation. Although she resigned from the Cabinet because she was opposed to the organisation of an army of defence, she is supporting the Bolshevik Party aid is now organising crusades for guerrilla warfare and the spread of socialistic doctrine. Because of her treatment on the Aland Islands, the Bolshevik Government has decided to deny to Sweden the right to send diplomatic couriers through Russian territory.

A woman who defied the German army to save the archives of her commune was recently awarded the cross of war. She is a school teacher in the Marne district, a lime. Fiquement. Her citation reads as follows:—"A woman of the highest courage, brave and devoted among all, at Taisey, during the German occupation, had the power, by her noble and energetic attitude, to impose her personality upon the occupying forces by refusing, even under the most brutal menaces, to give up to them the archives and the maps of the commune. In spite of the incessant bombardment undergone by the village, naw almost levelled to the ground, she continued up to the very hour fixed by the military authority for total evacuation to administer, all by herself, the affairs of the commune. With a courage and abnegation above all eulogy, she rendered the very greatest services to her fellow citizens, giving to all the beautiful example of energy and of never-failing devotion."

According to an estimate based on surveys made in fifteen states for the national league of women's service byxMiss Marie L. Obenauer with the sanction and assistance of the American Department of Labour, there are approximately 1,266,061 women in the United States engaged in industrial work which is either directly or indirectly necessaiy to carry on the war. "These million and more women," says Miss Obenauer, "are in the Front rank of the industrial army of defence. They are the important women of the nation. Bands do not play in their honour; they do not wear picturesque uniforms; yet in the business of winning the war it is as necessary to protect their working efficiency as to safeguard the fighting efficiency of the men on the firing line. The tiling our survey impressed upon us is that woman cannot escape her world-old job—tho job of feeding and clothing. She finds this to be her job outside as well as in the home, if she is to be an important factor in winning the war." How to make farm life so attractive to the girls that they will not leave it for work in the cities is one of the problems in France. At a recent meeting of the committee on feminine activities in Paris, to which Miss Roelofs, the Young Women's Christian Association secretary, was invited, a countess who represented Brittany proposed that a movement be started among big farmers to provide quarters and recreations so attractive for the girls that they would not" be tempted to leave. Other plans to win girls back to the farms are being discussed, but once the girla get to the cities it is almost impossible to induce them to return. Members of the National Council of French Women were present.

Women are to be taken on as rural mail carriers all over the United States as a war emergency measure, according to James I. Blakeelee, Assistant Post-master-General. The first examination to which women would be eligible was to. take place on 27th April in all sections where there were vacancies, and where men carriers were not obtainable. This is the first time since 1911 that women have been eligible for such posts, except in rare cases as substitutes (says the Sprinfield Republican). Previous to that time the service was open to them for a short time, but while their work was satisfactory climatic conditions in the Northwest were such as to make it inadvisable to use them generally, and the privilege of examination was denied to them. There are now in the rural route service 200 women carriers, holdovers from these early examinations. According to Mr. Blakeslee, who has charge of rural routes, their services have been quite satisfactory, and in opening the field again to women his office looks for gratifying results.