“EMERGENCY RATIONING”

Northern Advocate, 21 March 1931, Page 4

“EMERGENCY RATIONING”

A UNIVERSAL PROVIDER. (By M.L.) “The great art of life, ” declares a woman who conducts her home and her business with equal capability, “is to be prepared for emergencies.” In. her office she keeps under , her personal supervision a cupboard in. which are stored plentiful supplies of typewriter ribbons, stationery of every .conceivable kind, and remedies for the various ills to which a staff of .girl clerks is prone. There are also stamps for the use of clients, cheque forms, and even a spare umbrella. The same idea obtains in her home. There she has installed a neat little corner cupboard, the key of which, though hung where everyone may have access to it, is regarded as sacred to emergencies alone. Within the cupboard are stored simple first-aid remedies and. appliances, so that, should the maid cut her finger or a child fall downstairs, bandages and lotions are ready to hand. An honourable understanding exists that any person who removes and uses a bandage or bottle' of lotion must replace it at the earliest possible moment; any infringement of this rule is looked upon as amounting;. almost to dishonesty. In a corner of this cupboard may be found sewing materials and darning silks to match practically any. shade of light stocking. If a guest suddenly discovers a ladder in'the only pair of hose that matches a particular toilette, she flies at once to the “uni. versa! provider,” as the cupboard is laughingly called, and is saved a minor tragedy. A handy shilling foi the gas meter is included in the outfit a ruse that many women who use gas on the shilling-in-the-slot principle will appreciate.