CITY WITHOUT COLOUR HERE AND THERE PLUNKET APPEAL

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 135, 4 December 1935, Page 19

CITY WITHOUT COLOUR

HERE AND THERE

PLUNKET APPEAL

As a picturesque spectacle," the garden party at the old Ministerial grounds, Tinakori Road, tomorrow afternoon, which will form the.finale to the Plunket Society's appeal to strengthen its finances, should be a great success, but it is evident from the complete arrangements that the children who attend will have a variety of entertainments that should appeal to them. The gates will be open before 3 p.m., and at 3,30 p.m. games organised by Uncle ' Campbell will begin. Then will follow dancing on the green' by the pupils' of Miss Jean Knox Gilmetf after which the, crowning ceremony will take place. The. three candidates, Maisie, Gloria, and Pam, will be attended by the following- flower girls.—Denise Gotlieb, Joy and Clair Brooks, Jan Perry, ■ Jocelyn Schloss, and Leslie Hanna. Country dances will be given'by Judith Ainslie, Judith. Blackley, Msrjorie."Dykes'," Suzanne Wall, Helen Hardie-Brpwn,- Raymond Luke, June Stevens, Judith Hornabrook, Joyce Miller, Elizabeth Tennent, Joy 'fnd Elizabeth Florance, Jan Perry, and Jocelyn Schloss. After the crowning ceremony tea will be prepared for children and adults, with ice cream, etc. All the afternoon Uncle Campbell will be organising games for the children, who should have a Happy time.

Latest Bndai irasr.ions always interest the prospective bride. Distinctive and up-to'-the-mimite styles are the specialty oi Miss Murray, 86 Willis Street. Telep: lone 40-541.—Advt

AN INTERESTING VISITOR

WORK DONE IN ADELAIDE

There was a large and representative gathering of representatives of Women's Societies at the Lyceum Club yesterday afternoon to meet Miss Cox, who recently retired from the position of head of the Women Police at Adelaide, after having held the position for over twenty years. The clubrooms were delightfully decorated with masses of sweet peas from the garden of Mrs. D. Coutts at Golden Gate.

Mrs. Norwood (president), in welcoming Miss Cox, gave a brief resume of her good work in Adelaide, and spoke of the deep appreciation accorded her by the Department for which she worked, as well as that of the.many people who came under her official care. Mrs. Norwood said «she

had been' in touch with ■ some mutual friends in Adelaide who had to}d her. a great deal that was most impressive and interesting about the work of the policewomen in Adelaide and of the good leadership of Miss Cox. She asked Miss Cox to tell those present something of her work, and of the terms under which the work was done.

Miss Cox began by expressing her I sincere appreciation of the way in |. which the women's societies had received her in New Zealand, and paid a hearty tribute to the beauty of the scenery, soil, and children. In her, tour she said she had been impressed with the richness of the growth of plants and trees, and had seen many beautiful little ones. 'She touched on' the early days of policewomen in England, and of the pioneer workers there, with appreciation of what was done. South Australia was the first place in the Empire to have policewomen, and later New South Wales had a small force. A Labour Government was in ' power when the policewomen were - established, and Miss Cox was the supervisor. This was in war time, when a great deal of work was done by women in keeping the camps clear of undesirable women. POST-WAR PROBLEMS. • Miss Cox spoke of the post-war pro-:,; blems, of the new liberty which some young women allowed to develop into licence, and showed that the "women police had done a great work in checking and helping those who were inclined: that way. She was proud to be able to say that largely by their) efforts the white slave traffic was kept in'^uch close check that no'young women were now "missing" from their city. She alluded t0... the cases mentioned in newspapers of these missing young women and girls from other parts who came to tragic ends through their ignorance and folly in leaving safe homes and towns where they had friends. . She spoke with plainness and sincere conviction on the subject of the necessity for women to be the ones , : to take evidence in cases of assault and sex cases, and urged this particularly ,■ in the case of children. The greatest:care should be taken, she said, that a child's mind should not be more hurt in these cases, and they needed the care and understanding of a woman to ensure this. It was impossible to get away from the fact that it was far more difficult for this kind at case to. be spoken about between opposite sexes. "Miss Cox had a good word to say for the girls of today, although there were some who misused their liberty, but .she liked to think that when the restraining effect of the opinion of "Mrs. Grundy" went out of fashion that then the policewomen came into fashion! ■[ ■

A good deal of trouble, said Miss Cox, came from a certain class of daiice:. halls, tod'it, was' a fact that over-indulgence in drink and loose conduct at these led to many a suicide. Theipatrolling of wharves was a very, necessary-part .of the .work done, for the policewomen saw to it that there were no stowaways on board the overseas ships, and looked out for the "tramps" in-particular, as they were less easy to get . into touch with if anyone was missing. The women police were, sworn iri as police constables, after. training, and had full power as had the men, but their work was confined to women and children. They took a great part, too, in assisting people in domestic trouble, and saved many households from separation and other unhappiness. The policewomen worked entirely under the direction of their principal, and she was responsible to the Commissioner of Police/They did not wear uniform, and Miss Cox was of opinion, from her experience, that, better results were obtained by wearing plain dress and not uniform. < POSITION IN NEW ZEALAND. Mrs. M. H. Chatfield (president of the National Council of Women, Wellington) expressed the thanks of her societies foir the interesting address gven by Miss Cox, and assured her that for. years past the women of organised societies in New Zealand, had urged the' 'appointment of women police for the extra protection of young people, feeling that preventive work was • far better than remedial. They I had, so far, been quite unsuccessful in getting any. sympathetic hearing about this and other matters in connection with women and: children, but were hoping for better things in the future. Miss Amy - Kane (representing the associated women's clubs and other societies) and other speakers added their tribute, of interest and thanks.

A brief programme of music was enjoyed, and afternoon tea and some talk.with the...guest..of..honour, closed a very pleasantly informative afternoon.

BISHOP LISTON WELCOMED

A reception in honour of Bishop Liston, who recently returned from an official visit to Rome, was held in the Auckland Catholic Women's League rooms on Monday evening, states the "New Zealand Herald." There was a crowded attendance of members, who were received by the president, Mrs. M, Pilling, wearing a frock of black and green floral chiffon.

The rooms were charmingly decorated with bowls of St. Joseph lilies, honeysuckle, and stands of flowering flax. The guest of honour, who was accompanied by Monsignor J. Cahill and members of the clergy, was welcomed by Mrs. Pilling on behalf of the league members.

In expressing thanks for the welcome accorded him, Bishop Liston said that while he had had a pleasant trip he was- delighted to return to New Zealand. While abroad he had been privileged to meet many interesting people. He was greatly impressed by the way the churches were facing and overcoming the many serious problems confronting them. He had witnessed scenes of great holiness in Ireland and

in Rome.

In England, the Bishop continued, he visited the central office of the Catholic Women's League' in London, and he was greatly impressed by the earnestness of the members and the good work they were carrying out.

A visit to one of the Grail Homes and the splendid work achieved under the Grail movement were described by Bishop Liston. He said the work was carried out chiefly by nuns who acted as directors. Under them were groups of willing workers who gave their leisure time to the work of the Grail. This work included going out into the towns and finding Catholic girls and bringing them into a Grail House, where they woud find spiritual influence and happiness.-In conclusion, the Bishop congratulated the members of the league on the excellent progress made. It was most gratifying, he said, to find their efforts so successful.

A HOUSE IN BAGDAD

Contrary to the popular conception of Bagdad as a place of glamorous romance and colourful native life, Mrs. A. Sievwright, who has lived there for twelve years, described it (when interviewed by a "Sydney Morning Herald" representative upon- her arrival in Sydney recently) as a city picturesque in many respects, but particularly lacking in colour.

The most extraordinary thing aboutBagdad, she said, was its lack of colour. There were just a few blue-tiled domes in some of the buildings, but the bulk of them were made of dull mud brick, and the natives wore dark clothes. Arabs coming in from the desert all wore black or brown, Moslems always wore dark clothes, and the poor-class Christian and Jewish woman wore black abbas over coloured cotton dresses; the majority which came from Japan.

There was a time not very long ago when the Christian and Jewisn women wore lovely colourful abbas, the making of which was one of the chief industries of Bagdad, but was jnow a-dying one. The abbas were made Jn pretty colours and hand-embroidered

with gold and silver stripes; it was lovely work, and the women looked most handsome with the coat-like garments thrown over their heads. Sometimes the children now wore abbas of a bright orange colour.

Their home in Bagdad was a curious ■fold Arab house, Mrs. Sievwright said, which was built around a courtyard. She did not consider it a particularly good design, but it was the same that had been built in the time of Abraham. | and was planned for privacy, air, and space. It certainly had air and space, but the extremes of heat and cold in summer and winter—the temperature varied by 100 degrees—made it too hot in summer and too cold in winter. .

It was made like all the old Arab buildings in Bagdad of mud bricks, shoddily put together so that it had the appearance of being very ancient, although it had been built only 50 years ago, and was very picturesque, being right on the River Tigris. The household all slept out on the big roofless balconies of the upper storey under the stars, and the servants slept on the balconies below. Her furniture was all made in English style by Arab carpenters, who were very shoddy in their work and used poor wood. No one put their hearts into furnishing in Bagdad, Mrs. Sievwright said, for timber could not stand up to the extremes in the climate.

A Sale Continued.

Miss Betty Rhind and her partner are keeping their bazaar for Christmas goods open for a fortnight. Their room is next to the Wairarapa Farmers', and there is a delightful selection of articles to be seen there. A Good Concert. An excellent concert was given by the D.I.C. Concert Party in the Presbyterian Hall, Seatoun, in aid of the Mayor's Metropolitan Relief Fund.. The programme was of a most attractive nature, every item being admirably rendered by the various artists, and much appreciated by the audience. The programme opened with a piano solo by Miss Joyce Griffiths, followed by a vocal duet by the Misses Ross Doherty and Mavis King. Miss Lalitte Lees with her harp, and Messrs. Stan and Frank Pennington with violin and cello, provided -excellent instrumental music. Miss V. Berry and Miss Doherty contributed solos, Miss Kaite Hakaraia entertained with Maori songs in costume, Mr. Arthur Pennington rendered a selection of humorous items, 'and Mr. J. Osborne gave a tenor solo. A very enjoyable evening was brought to a close by the company singing the chorus "Haera Ra." Nursing Division. The final meeting far the year of the Wellington South Nursing Division was held on Tuesday evening, there being a large attendance of members. Letters were read from the division's "foster child" at the Otaki Health Camp, and the sum of 7s 3d collected making the year's total £5 8s 9d. The cadets' competition for "the Preston Cup was held, the ' winners being Misses M. Carrol, M. Bewley, and M. Gernie. The competition was judged, and the cup presented by Mrs. Betts (lady superintendent). The usual "bring and buy" evening resulted in £4 7s' being handed over to the division's competition fund. . The. meeting closed after divisional drill and Mrs. K. Preston (president) and Mrs. Betts extended season's greetings to members.

Recipe Wanted.

A correspondent asks for a recipe for making horehound beer.