SOCIAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19391, 28 July 1926, Page 7

SOCIAL NEWS.

Invitations have been issued by Their Excellencies the Governor-General and Lady Alice Fergusson for a ball to be held at Government House, Wellington, on Friday, August 6.

Mrs. H. M. Didsburv returned by the limited express yesterday after a visit to Rotorua and ' Wellington.

In reply to a request from tho New Zealand Educational Institute that training college service should count in teachers' superannuation, the Minister of Education stated that he agreed with the institute in this request.

The Victoria League is. holding an "At Home" in tho lounge of. the Lyceum Club on Thursday evening. A good musical programme has been arranged, and the prizes for the Victoria League Essay Competition will be presented by the" president. Miss J. A. Mowbray.

Admiral Hall-Thompson and his wi'e and daughter will be missed when they sail off at the end of tho month for England (says a Melbourne .writer). Mrs. Hall-Thompson has made many friends while in Australia, and these are busy farewelling her.

In replv to a request from the New Zealand Educational Institute, that the staff of each training college should include a senior woman lecturer to whom girls in the colleges could look for guidance, the Minister of Education, the lion. R. A. Wright, expressed himself in favour of such appointments.

An interesting souvenir, in the form of a golden album, was presented to the Hon. E. W. Alison and Mrs. Alison by their sons and daughters on the occasion of their golden wedding. Tho album contained photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Alison on the day of their wedding, July 27, 1876, on the dny of their silver wedding, 1901. and on the clay of their golden wedding, 1926. and inscribed were two verses, "one to Mr. Alison and one to Mrs. Alison.

Congratulations have been showered on a young Australian, Miss Doris E. Adeney Lewis, R.1.8.A., of Melbourne, who recently won the much-coveted prize at the Architectural Association School in London (says a writer in an exchange) entitling her to six months' study in America. Miss Lewis intends to make a special study of labour-saving devices in the United States, and with her expert knowledge and opportunities and unique experience, this should bo of untold value to the Dominions, where labour-saving is of vital importance.

Tho Governor of Victoria and Lady Somers were the guests of honour at the Victoria League ball, which was held to raise funds for the establishment of women's institutes in the country districts of the State (says a writer in an Australian paper). The decorations for this ball were particularly beautiful, combining all the soft colours of spring, blue, rose, green, gold and cream. Three gigantic lanterns with pastel shades hung from the centre of the hall. Lady Somers wore a beautiful black frock, beaded in crystal and finished with a deep tulle hem, tulle sash, and tulle scarf. She wore diamonds in her fair hair. This is the second ball Lady Somers has attended since her arrival, and on each occasion she has worn black. Doubtless it will now be more generally worn for evening wear.

Mention is made in a Melbourno paper of a women students' dance, at which the gaiety of the scene was increased by the original and charming caps which were distributed at supper time, and worn afterwards with excellent effect. On inquiry as to their origin it was found that they toere specially made by an Australian girl, who. had found the difficulty of getting anything original in the way of paper caps and crackers, and. who resolved to pioneer a little industry of her own. In her spare time, for she is a day worker, she began to. make caps and crackers, soon learning tha art, and turning out really beautiful articles. As she became known, from one dance to another, she found j herself extremely and profitably busy. This might be a suggestion to girls with spare time, who have energy and clever fingers.

Representing 25 countries, 700 delegates attended the conference on industrial hygiene held in Amsterdam last year, at which Dr. Ethel Osborne (Mrs. W. A. Osborne) was the official representative of the Commonwealth and Victorian Ministries. Another important conference which she was called on to attend at a moment's notice was the Imperial Social Hygienic Congress held at Wembley in October, when she filled the place of Sir John MacFarland, Chancellor of the University, who was unable to be present. The conference at Amsterdam was the first to be held since the end of the war, and Dr. Osborne, who returned to Melbourne on the Ormonde last month, said it showed that the world had made a great advance in industrial hygiene during and after the war. Unfortunately, in England, the present condition of unemployment had resulted in a setback in the progress of industrial hygiene, which had "advanced amazingly during the latter years of the war. And until Great Britain had solved this particular problem further progress seemed doubtful.