SASSIETY SPICE

NZ Truth, Issue 606, 27 January 1917, Page 2

SASSIETY SPICE

■IF >&V M LADY TOT^ ~~8

On the pavement promenade some very tasteful and pretty dresses have been worn. , A slight, graceful matron wore a. pretty iron grey silk poplin made'ohly very slightly full m both coat "and skirt, the former being a well " cut three r quarters with just a suspicion .of black silk braiding m collar and sleeves. , A bonny girl is wearing a very , pale! vioiet cloth' costume, the skirt being kilted, as also ' is the basque, of the coat. A black sailor hat and good black boots and stockings were m per-fect-harmony with the fair hair and dress of 'the wearer. •• • ■ The sales are m full swing and for once the prices show, genuine reduc-. tions. One emtforiuin on -the- .Quay patronised only by the ultra wealthy I has'beeir showing a very shoddy. lot, of costumes compared with another. Quay shop or with Cuba-street bargains. " No doubt the reductions generally are so decided owing to. the absence of : buyers. Tho usual nearly-burst-the i doors-in-rush is conspicuous by its absence. Women at last realise that anything is dear when they do not need it. The simple muslin and washing frocks at one Cuba-street shop were remarkable for cheapness and neatness. Evening wraps at another brought forth gurgles of pleasure from eager purchasers. ■"'■"*.'" • . ■ • ' The conference of hospital and health representatives met recently m Wellington m some unprepared and untidy room which brought down the wrath of members and an apology and invitation. The apology''was from the hospital people and the invitation from the Hon. G. W. 1 Russell to shift quarters to* -the Parliamentary Buildings. After ruffled feathers were smoothed and tempers were fairly serene they discussed many things, amongst others venereal disease, whether it should be notifiable or otherwise. ThevMinlster was most emphatic m his opposition to notification and "Dot" reads • thatj the scientific committee set up in* England agrees with, his opinion and is v backed up by the British Dominions Woman Suffrage Union, which was composed of delegates from all parts of the. world. However, "Dot" is not altogether m agreement with these great minds, because, it is. to her mind doubtful, whether innocent people are not sufferers far oftener than is necessary by the present secrecy connected with this fell and , foul disease . A reeking with disease may now enter a clean home and.contam-inate-'the inmates m a score of ways. Were she compelieu to' notify the authorities this could not\be so. Who will then say that non-notification tends to prevent the spread?! • ■ •' . • The n.c.o.'sand men of the 2lst Reinforcements presented an illuminated address to the president and members of the Sydney-street , Social Club accompanied by a cheque for £10 towards the funds, Mrs. Coleridge is acting president whilst Mrs. Massey is m Britain and accepted It on her behalf. Therein she made a "bloomer." She should have accepted it, as it was intended she should, on behalf of the General Committee of the club. From these the men had accepted hospitality and not from Mrs. Massey at all. However, these good ladies of the executive never miss a chance to boom the Maseey family. The presentation was a .■ thoughtful act on the part of the soldiers who had followed a good example set them by two preceding reinforcements, though twenty have so far departed. "We do love the home-made food we get on certain nights," remarked a soldier to "Dot" when she was /visiting Trenthom "We can get shop stuff at the canteens," he further remarked and then, went on to say that tho wealthy members of the Sydney-street Committee ordered their stuff from a caterer v whereas others cooked and prepared everything themselves! "And don't we just love those nights." ho added. • >* "Dot" hopes that those who supply "bought stuff" will realise that the soldiers did not moan tho testimonial to apply (o them, whilst tho good bodies who sweltered at the oven and over fires during recent hot weather will take the compliment unto themselves. ••• : • The women of this city, and more particularly those who have lost relatives m tho war, are wondering whether all Ik as it should be concerning our ballot system. Three particularly well-known men drew a prize. in "Maseey's sweep" m the first ballot and are Htlll swaggering round town with a superior grin on each of their faces, looking In the pink of condition, whilst others are m camp and one at least doing a lot of solitary confinement In Trent ham camp because ho vows he Is a true conscientious objector. Women folk ar«t f?ettlnjf very anxious about tho trio above mentioned — two of whom insinuate that there are ways .of evading tu-rvice if v man is not exactly a fool. .In Britain JiiKt recently It came to the knowledge of the authorities Mint medical eerline.ito.s of unfit ness were procurable for hugo fees and wo want no suspicion of Unit kind to rout on our system of compulsory military Horvloo Why have not there three men been before the Appeal Hoard anyhow? We women want to know. •• • • Quito a number of tony people hurry away from their hornet! Nt (Mirl.mmuH liuK'.M and for different reasons. Mrs. Tuuivera Terrace clears out post ha.nte to Hoinu dhit-.inl buy u> escape providing anything extra vi Christ man tin:-?, j M's cheaper to have your (.'hrisunu* j dinner ;it a hotel and then you can ■> irlvtj your maid a holiday and don't j have !o keep h«-r, ( i Mr:-;. 'IVrr.i'-e is too hnndy to town : tsiid the p.-op!e whoxc hospitality Ih al- ! ways rvU'Mileil to her husband urn! i l.cr«elf when fancy and economy direct ] her thoughts cottntrywardu are npt to < "pop In" too often to suit her lazy ; ht-ir. . ; Mnt. Hawker-street retlren i<\ ".vomewbf-re out of th<> city" <n ot\hv to l:o<?p "hubby" on the chain tJurinc tho festive npiw.on. Mr«. Norlh!un<t;i pitcnoH a honov.ctl !i>nt In som» aiiila/vUrifi nook where vUiiicr!! are plainly tobt they nuin bring tJ'.clr own 'tucker" n* there :>rc .. no mean* <>f cooktnvr Anytht:>K ver> muoh. HmuU: Visitors* i.rinj? jtufM-, cltnt to kttop lhc> u-nt s^-'-n f'"" a (Say

I or so and "hubby's" ■ big screw is quite safe from foreign inroads. Mrs. Thorndon, wisest of all, lets her house at a big margin over rent, packs a "hamper of consolation" <.and goes off to stay with mother for a month whilst "hubby" goes off fishing (for various things, m various waters). At the end of a month. or so the family unites with different tales to relate and there is not that feeling of boredom and "thank heaven that the holidays are over sort of feeling" which so many families experience after a month's cooping up m tent, hotel, or whare. „ ■ * ♦ * "Dot" notices that the Government is going to pay as much as £2 per week for insurance or interest owing by married men who are on active service. Wonder whether that is to be retrospective, or whether it is only to be paid to officers proceeding on active service? Since writing the above some more regulations have been gazetted and it is clearly the intention of the Government to give married and single men with dependants a certain amount of relief if recommended by the Minister for Defence and the Military Service Board. How can men already on active service place their appeals before this tribunal? . Cases are known where women are very much worried over their inability to keep insurance or interest paid up and their husbands and eons have been on active service since the beginning of the war. Imagining that the war would only last about twelve months they had made adequate provision for two years. In some cases sickness m the home disorganised matters and there is. real distress whereas, had the provisions, now made public existed (as they should have existed) from the earlier stages of the war, recruiting would, have been much more brisk. . "Dot" advises all women who have life and fire insurance or interest on mortgage to pay, to send m to the Minister for Defence or, better still, the chairman of the Military Service Board stating their positions. ■ ■ ••..'■.#■ • There is great regret expressed over the departure of Major Deck from the Victoria Soldiers 1 Hospital. The Major is loved by every one with whom he comes m contact and his kind fatherly advice has done much to bring our poor sick and wounded boys back to a sense of their responsibilities and a feeling 1 of security regarding their health. Dr. Morice, who succeeds him, is married to a Seddon and no doubt possesses much of the milk of human kindness, but it will take a long time to reconcile the soldiers , and those working for them to the loss of Major Deck. He lost one brave son m the dark days of Galllpoll and another is still on active service The Major goes to the Auckland Military District and will no doubt win additional laurels m that district. • ■•■' Some of "Dot's" pars m last issue have caused much speculation as to "who was who" m her "morality queries," and she was not too greatly as - tonißhed to overhear m a train car the names of the people concerned being openly discussed. So let them pause — and perhaps forbear. ' In a certain tourist resort there ore many grass widowers just now who are having "high, jinks" whilst their wives are on holiday Jaunt. Three of the former journeyed out to find a fourth hand for. poker and proceeded to the house v of a local identity and started to dig him out by ringing the I front aoor bell. Obtaining no satisfac- ! tion they espied an open window and [ noticing a form under the bed clothes forthwith proceeded to "prod" with their walking-sticks. Terrifying Bhrieks greeted their efforts, accompanied by loud cries for "Police!" Their would-be host had b,een invaded by an army of relations and had retreated .to his club and the screams emanated from his irate sister-in-law. |As all concerned occupy prominent positions m the town there is much chaffing of the culprits. Rumor ht«h it that when "wlfle" comes home "she'll learn something!" !■■.*■• • • I Well done, Colonel Potter! His ad- ! dress to the two new reinforcements j which recently entered Trent ham! is brim full of good sound advice. Espec- | iftlly where he wurns the soldiers ngulnst designing females who only mnko lovo to the soldier m order to get his pay allotted to them. Also warning tho "wents" against "throwing off" at the "sonts." The fatherly Colonel also eulogised the ladies uf the Syd-ney-street Club and said that "tiny Holdler insulting any one of them was a blackguard." Well, "Dot" never heard of any such conduct and hopes that this admonition was not needed.