NOTES FOR WOMEN

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10207, 18 February 1919, Page 8

NOTES FOR WOMEN

SOME FASHION NOTES,

Paris is again quite normal (writes the lady correspondent of tho Auckland “Star’';. The theatres are opening, the boulevards are full, and the shops, dressmakers and milliners are anticipating an excellent winter season. How; the heart of Paris, so beloved of Parisians, has suffered! Its windows are broken, its shop fronts in ruins, and its plateglass is shattered. At one antique shop, there is a great cloth stretched over the front to hide a gaping -wound; at this dressmaker’s, the framework of the windows remains empty; at another establishment there is no door. At a wellknown little handkerchief shop there is no trace of the door, a show-window, or any glass. Tho counters are all exposed to'tho wind, but that does not prevent the salesman from displaying handkerchiefs that are tempting, in everything but price. At the perfumers’, the saleswomen are smiling, so happy are they at the glorious prospect of peace in sight. Like their neighbour’s, their . shop is windowless.

Yes, Paris is again quite normal; where the lines of the streets and the avenues, the bridges and the quais have remained intact.

“Let us compromise,” said the fashionable dressmaker early in the spring,

“and use a little of this and a little of that.” And so successful has her suggestion been, that we now find the combination of materials one of the smartest fashions of the new- season. It is a timely fashion, too, for never has there been such a scarcity of fabrics—not of any one fabric in particular, but of all fabrics, silks and velvets, as well as woollens. The fabric situation at the beginning of the November season' of 1918 is such that compromise is necessary. However, this is not as dismal as it sounds, for the combining of tho materials will help the situation; and the combinations that some of the dressmakers are using are both smart and altogether charming. Velours and satin, ddvetyen and .satin, broadcloth and satin, mousseline and satin, crepe de chine and mousseline, gabardine and vel. vet—all these appear together in the newest frocks. They are made up with very little trimming, although furs, worn in separate sets or used as trimmings, will play an important part on any costume. Even our outdoor wraps an<l coats* are deliciously reminiscent of an old-world charm, with big eighteenth century highwaymen, capes and collars, and the cambric and lace jabot, Tho general silhouette is straight and very slim with short skirts. The effect is observed even when the skirt pegs at the top, or when draperies and pleatings are used. There is nothing Bouffant about the lines of the newest clothes. This is quite qs it should be, for in older that the supply of materials may be used to‘the greatest advantage, garments must be made up of as little material as practicable. Dressmakers, nowadays, have learned to bo adroit in combining material, new and old. It is important, however, to see that these materials are fresh and- in good condition, lest the value of the workmanship be lost. There is as much work in a remodelled garment as in one that is made of absolutely new materials, it not m paris thinks particularly well of tan, brown, and the many smoke shades. ' All of these are practical for autumn and winter. In colour we are exercising wonderful self-control, for- with the joyous prospect of peace ahead, the j°y of colour runs riot in our veins; but the dramatic sense forbids an. over-display ot colour at the moment. Somehow, it seems bad taste to flaunt in a violent hue, and perhaps be in close proximity to a mother or wife in sable garb. Whereas greys and browns and soft neutral shades are refreshing.- Besides, to the inspired colourist there is much col--our and poetry expressed in the varied studies in grey. Nature herself ever realises one’s wants, and gives us blact. grey white and red for winter, and loft’rosy dawns, and carpets of green in summer. Colour sh© flings around With a lavish hand at all tunes and seasons.

WHERE WOMEN CAN HELP.

The present position of women was very interestingly discussed in a recent issue of “The Queen." The writer drew attention to the fact that the gnn of the female infant was as strong at birth as the grip of the male, and a» difficult tc unloose. But gradually the female child learns that she must let go. Primogeniture, the rights of inheritance, the right to hold the family, name, are not for her. or are only for her in less degree than for males. She is transferred from her own family to the family of her husband. Set she is not completely incorporated in, the hustaand s family either; She early finds out that renunciation is-for her j participation is for others. , , We know that women hare remedied many of these evils.. About a < hundred years ago they had allowed this loosening of their grip on life to become so complete that many of them had lost heart and courage. From renunciation thev had slipped away into the depths of cowardice. They .scarcely let it bo known ithat they oven wrote novels. They worked in a homo which did not belong to them, and dared not ask payment for their labour. They played some games futilely and feigned a lively interest in games which they never dreamed of playing. They were always escorted through the streets by older women: until the time catne. for them to escort others, and then they died. Modesty, humility, gentleness, became indolence, narrowness, ignominy. The virtue of abnegation may so easily degenerate into a vice. Abandoning a right relinquishing a power, withdrawing from a post—in -what do all these acts of passivity (to employ a paradox) result? Powers are transferred to other persons who probably have their hands alreadv sufficiently full. Duties are done less well than they would be by those who could give them careful attention. “If you want a thing well done, do it yourself!” The advice is threadbare enough; but. to this day it is not thoroughly applied to the case of women. How many are the duties which are taken from their hands, only to he poorly done by men who have not the*personal interest in them which women feel! flmphatloally women must take a more practical hold' of municipal public, work. So long a» town and county council elections are as at present, we shall see the spectacle of almost every vacancy being filled by men. In some towns the numl>er of women of ability who could contribute to the welfare of the community is considerable. They know what ought to be done in some particular field ot municipal service, and would devote much of their ' time to this unpaid, and often fatiguing work. Women must take a firmer hold of finance. In none of the professions have women yet secured a tenure which is at all adequate to their powers of usefulness to the community. Most of all, perhaps, . 'is the exclusion of women noteworthy for public affairs. It is noteworthy when we look at the various meetings and conferences of important bodies. Women, it is true, have some largo societies of their own, whose influence on the shaping of legislation cannot ho ignored. At the same time, persons constantly assemble to discuss commercial and professional subjects m which women ore interested. Yet these representatives seldom include women. Have we, amid all the losses of war, inch a plethora of human capacity that we can allow the talents of women to remain untrained by exercise, and unused? Obviously not, and to the women of Mow' Zealand the future carries a clear and defined duty that they take their position ns citizens in the land on a porfectlv equal footing, ami devote practical tbouqnt to extending (he efficiency of tlie J-.mpire for which their sons and brothers have died.

COUNTESS OF LIVERPOOL FUND.

Now that demobilisation of the troop* is taking place rapidly, tho future or such funds as that, which has worked under the name of tho Countess ox Liverpool has to bo considered, and there was therefore a large attendance at the committee meeting held at the Town Hall yesterday. In tho absence of the Mayoress, president of the 'Wellington fund. Mrs W. Nathan (a uicepresident) presided, and there were pre"sent: Mesdames Findlay (hon treasurer), G. Tripe, MacAi-thur. Ashcnden, Murphy, Stott. Lang, Smith, Fordham, Bannister, Thompson, Hamer, Hamer ton, A. Crawford (hou secretary). Miss Robin and Miss Fraser. The question of the future of the fund was discussed and telegrams from General Richardson and General Robin were rend. The former said there were enough parcels en route and in hand to be distributed for a time and suggested that further gift parcels be discontinued. General Robin’s telegram advised the sending forward of any surplus in hand and considered the committee justified in sending no more. In view of these statements it wag decided to send no more parcels to Eur- >

ope for men of the N.Z.EIF. The question of disposing of surplus funds was discussed, and it -was decided to ask all country district funds to meet at a conference in Wellington on March I9th to decide on the disposal of funds in hand, and the secretary was instructed to write to all the country districts asking them to meet in this way.

A number of "housewrives” are in hand and it was decided that these should be presented to the men on H.M.S. New Zealand when visiting Wellington. All workers were asked to attend on Friday next for the purpose of filling these. A request from the Returned Soldiers’ Club for assistance at its campaign was agreed to, and the' committee decided to take a stall on the street day in April.

Some time ago the fund sent gifts oS clothing to the N.Z.W.C.A. Hostel in London for men on leave and a letter of thanks for these was received from Mrs Nolan, the secretary, who said sis cases had. arrived and the class of goods would be most serviceable, more particularly on demobilisation.

Letters were read from Colonel Ohaytor (Egypt) and Captain Richardson' (Samoa) thanking the committee for Christmas gifts sent to the men. Eleven cases had arrived, in Egypt, which were landed on December 3rd. 1918, and had been dispatched to the different units throughout the New Zealand Forces in Egypt. Captain Richardson thanked the committee most heartily for the sixty Christmas parcels sent to the men at Samoa, which arrived in excellent condition and were duly issued to the men by whom they were much appreciated-

FRUIT-GROWING FOR WOMEN.

A fruitgrower of Bathurst, Victoria, is emphatic that women can take part in tho fruit-groining industry with marked success.

r ‘l do not care whether the girls have ever had previous experience in the line,” Mr K.' G. Edgell remarked to a reporter. “The only condition I stipulate is that they must he willing to learn and to do their best. The conditions are made as pleasing as possible, and every reasonable facility for the acquisition of the efficiency ultimately required is provided. During the last pruning and spraying season I had, working for me two girls, who came from New Zealand. and their services were most satisfactory. “They had intended to stay with me for picking and packing, hut their passports expired, and they were obliged to return. In the handling of the - big spray-motor, driving the two horses, mixing and applying the various spraying preparations, their work was ( O.K. They were actually learning pruning; expenience had not been repaired of them, as the real qualification necessary was that they should be triers. And they were. “When engaging any person/’ he explained, “I put the question at once: ‘Are you a trier ? If so I’ll give you a chance at once. If you are not, I don’t want you, no matter what yen might have done.’ That applies to both sexes. So far as the fruit-growing industry is concerned—and it is going to be a big thing in this country ultimately—there is likely to be a fuller application of female labour. Such work as picking, and more especially packing, eminently belongs to girls. I do not know of any other activity that female laoour could more readily adapt itself to. In the. United States the proportion of women workers in tfie fruit-handling line is very big, and from the latest information that proportion is growing. 1 know of one American college, backed by the Government, in which there aro gOO students of systematic packing of fruit, and more than half that number are girls. Even in this State the Government has alreadv broken the ice, the Bathurst Experiment Farm having employed four girls in the packing shed. At least two of them proved moat satis, factory.” The two New Zealanders mentioned were not the first girls to be employed at Mr Edgell’s ‘‘Bradwardine’' orchard. He has had five altogether, but two of them were a little on the young side, and were not inclined to tafco the work seriously. The fifth was the wife of a man. whom he also engaged at the same time—both Americans. The man had previously become an acknowledged expert in packing, and hia wife worked so industriously that she later reached the same stage of efficiency. Indeed, he had come to value her ser. vices as the better. The suggestion was made to Mr Edge!! that if the employment of girls in tb« fruit industrv were attempted on a general scale labour difficulties might arise. He admitted the probability, but pointed to America. The Australian growers, be emphasised, had to compete with the Americans, and thev would have to get the necessarv skilled labour somewhere. That was where the women were going to come in. Even from the point of view of quality, the girls had been able to do as much as the men in the shed. Thus any energetic girl was able to earn as much as the best worker in the opposite sex. No discrimination had been made or was contemplated in the, wages of the women and of the men. Each' would be required to do the same work in packing, except that such operations as moving full cases would not be expected of the women. In most packing sheds the rate of pny-Wns regulated according to the quantity of fruit packed, the figure being equal in the respective classes; but. said Mr Edgoll, In his own case he preferred to pay a fixed wage—the same for men and women—rather than ' encourage undue speed, which was likely to lead to damaged, fruit being placed in some of the cases, this being opposed to the guarantee of excellence labelled on the outside of tha case.

Mr lldpell further remarked that it the pirls preferred to work shorter hours than the men they could do so, a corresponding reduction being made in the pay "You can tell -whatever readers mipht ho interested m my experiment.” he said to the reuorter, in conclusion, "that the pirls and women seem to have established an indisputable foothold in the fruit-handlinp in their own Indus try.”