WOMEN IN PRINT

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 123, 25 May 1920, Page 9

WOMEN IN PRINT

Miss Coad, president of the Women's National Council, expressed with a clear vision the attitude of many women with regard to luxuries v. ■ necessities, in speaking at the annual meeting of the council last night. She remarked that many women .regarded the subject of the high cost of living from the drapery point of view, whereas she considered that food was the most import-ant consideration.., especially with people who had families to bring up with a proper regard to health. It, was all very well to boycott expensive under and "outerwear, but what wanted first consideration in that line was the price of New Zealand woollen goods. Miss Coad remarked that the Government could bring down the cost of living in many directions -if the women of the Dominion combined in solid resistance to such prices, but it would need great courage on the part of the authorities to do so. The Prime Minister had talked about, the extravagance that prevailed? and it was true that during and since ft'e .war there had been an extraordinary increase in the "airy nothings" to tie bought in the shop's-; things winch were highly expensive and useless. It would b» a sensible policy to stop the importation of such, and use the sjfae'e for things that were really urgently needed. , Miss Coad emphasised the fact that it, was the salaried people and their families who-were suffering .more than any other class, rind, therefore, should leceive first consideration.

The engagement is announced of Miss Jean Smith, youngest daughter of Mrs. W. Smith, 223, The Terrace,"Wellington, to Mr. J. A. D. Ritchie, only son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Ritchie, ateo'of The Terrace.

Lady Stout, at the annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the Women's National Council, said that she thought it\ would be but fitting that-such a meeting of women should cxpi'ess its deep regret at the death of Mrs. Kineton Parkes. Mrs. Parkes had spent he.vsclf for the cause of. women, and at, the last she died very suddenly of heart failure. Lady Stout was of opinion that her untimely #?ath had been hastened by those arduous years she had spent working for the franchise for women. Mrs. Parkes had been a member of the Women's Tax Resistance League, and lier work for women, suffrage, although she was not a militant, was outstanding. Here in New Zealand' she had done mnch for women, especially in regard to temperance work, and she had always been ready to give her set vices in any way that-would be of benefit to women. Lady Stout said that Mrs. Kineton Parkes had left two «>ns, one of whom, Major Parkes. had ?een service in Egypt and elsewhere Her second son had,been in camp at Treat-ham, and had done splendid woilf during the influenza epidemic. She moved that they place on record their deej? regret at the death of Mrs. Parkes. and also that a vote of sympathy be passed to her sons in, their loss. The motion was carried, the meeting stand' ing in silence for a few moments.

Mrs.- J. K. Cameron (Hawera) is the guest of Mrs. Cummings, of Ngaio.

The engagement is announced af Miss. Mary There6a Murphy, youngest* daughter of. Ml- and Mrs. James Miir phy, of Cape Fouhvind, to Mr, Leonard Aekins. eldest son of Mrs. Aekins, of 21 j Cottleville-terruce, Wellington.

A general opinion as; to the excellence of the' milk supplied! by the City Council Committee which . deale with this important item was expressed by the women at the W.N.C. meeting last night, and it was 'resolved to forward a letter of approval to the council. At the same time an earnest hope was expressed that the price of milk would not rise, on account of the infants and small children who might thus be deprived of n sufficiency. V

Among the visitors to Auckland at present are Mr. K. T. Riley, of Winnipeg, a director of the Canadian National Railway System, and Mrs. lliley. Their tour is solely for pleasure. Mr. and Mrs. Riley came from Vancouver to Australia by the" Canadian Importer. They are to rejoin her in Auckland. Mr. Riley describes her as "the ice-cutter" of the new Canadian-Australasian trade, of which he holds the highest hopes. Apart from duties as director of this important railway board—which, incidentally, performs the functions of a shipping board as well—he lias important banking and insurance interests.

The remark was made by Miss Coad last evening with regard to the conduct of shops: "The holders of the retail shops aro not by any means philanthropists, but the 'big brothers/ the merchants and trading companies, should be the first points of attack in making., an organised effort to check the over-large profit-mongering. In regard to the same subject, Mrs. Corliss said later that it appeared as if the world of trade was suffering from an extraordinary attack of avarice, and those who had been content with profits of 15 per cent, or so, now wanted hundreds per cent. Another speaker remarked that very early in the war days prices went up, but it was a, considerable period later before any wages were raised, i The speaker was of opinion that the. retailers largely handed on the inflated prices of the wholesalers.

The beautiful embroidery done by disabled soldiers, sometimes by the left hand, is the subject of encomium in an Knglish paper. An exhibition at Chelsea. House was "a revelatior of patience, skill, and 'taste of these men," says the writer. "One of them, seeing the design for tho circle of an nltar-lrontui, said there was a defect, and^if it were worked that way it would -come out wrong. This proved io be correct. Asked how he knew, the man said he had been a bricklayer, and had made many arches, so he knew bow the stitches', which he regarded as bricks, must gu "

After some discussion on the education question at tile Women's National Meeting last night, the following motion was proposed by Mrs. Fordo and carried unanimously :—"That the National Council of Womet> congratulates the Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister for Education, in his efforts to bring about necessary reforms in connection with our national system of education; but svould pomt out that the reforms promulgated by him cannot be effectively put into practice unless teachers are paid salaries that are to an extent commensurate with the invaluable services they. render society. Further, if any material improvement in regard to children taking advantage of secondary education is to take place, the economic conditions oF tlie great mass of the people Trill need to bo advanced ■ appreciably and education made free ivi the true sense of the word, and not partially, ns is at present the case, from the primary schools lo the university, as is now being done in America, Belgium, and oilier countries that are leading us in t|ie all-important matter of education. In this connection wo advocate for a commencement that all school book? shall be supplied free ol' co^t, and that fees ' tlmt are now tliHi-itfitl for t'litrnnct! to esanjinatiqn br, abodislied."