SASSIETY SPICE

NZ Truth, 5 October 1918, Page 2

SASSIETY SPICE

By "LADY DOT."

The Town Hall is a scene of lively bustle and will be so for the next fortnight, owing: to the Roman Catholic brethren running a huge bazaar m aid of the rebuilding of St. Mary's Church, which was destroyed by lire some months ago. The old Church St. Mary's of the Angels, was the first Catholic Church m Wellington, being erected m Bouloott-street m 184 H. It wa.s then close to the water's •edge, as. may be seen m several old pen-and-ink sketches of early Wellington. The Ilevds. Father Mahoney and Hoare, Mrs. L,uko and Mrs. A. A. Corrigan received the Countess of Liverpool, who was presented with a beautiful bouquet of scarlet anemones. There are several stalls well stocked with beautiful work, and a Queen Carnival is being run, the queens being the leaders of each stall. Raffles are the order of the day and some beautiful prizes were on view. The bazaar will run into another fortnight, and everyone should pay a visit and try their luck. * * * A very jolly dance was held m the Alexandra Hall on Saturday night last to assist m raising funds for the rebuilding of St. Mary's Church. The function was conducted under the auspices of the Catholic Girls' Hostel, with Miss M Burke as hon.sec. The decorations were bright and pretty, and, as usual with any Catholic function, the supper and music left nothing to be desired. The chaperones were Mesdames Halpin, Burke, Cornish, O'Sullivan, Gleeson and Dunn, and the dance committee Misses Hackett, Dwyer. Adamsnn, Daly, Bowe and Gould, and Messrs. Tennon, Troy, Scanlon, Shannahan, Pfeff and Hackett. Cowley's band supplied excellent music. it 4* * Women are wanting to know how it is that certain brides-elect, and others, are able to obtain permits or passports and proceed overseas to be married, or to endeavor to be married, whilst those outside a certain clique' cannot obtain such privileges? On a boat leaving some weeks ago there were six brides-elect and one young English wife who went back to Britain at the same time as her soldier husband left to rejoin his regiment Ihere are scores of young women m New Zealand who have been waiting for four years to marry those brave fellows who form the remnant of the Main Body, and who are to be sent home on furlough when there's room, after the sick men and soldiers' wives have been accommodated! No wonder there is grumbling and protest. ° * « * That "Christian-like" body, the P.P.A., has about one hundred women dodging round Wellington Central and indulging m tactics which prove their undoing. One little game is to assure the people of the house that, "Mack would be a certain vote for Massey on a no-confidence division, because he would never vote to keep a Catholic m power." Women are advancing by leaps and bounds m Auckland. Mrs. B. J. Morton of Waitemata, has been elected a member of the Chamber of Commerce. This is indeed an honor to our sex, because m the past we have been held m great contempt by the BUSINESS MEN and wizards of finance. m fact scores of us are not entrusted with the scantilyfurnished family purse. Now, one of us has been elected to those long-conserved and sacred precjncts, the Chamber of Commerce. * • * Ex-M.P. Harry A'tmore has "a way wid him that appeals to women and this is plainly to be seen m this campaign, for women flock to hear him. Perhaps it is because he is so logical, and women love logical men, they so seldom find one, and when they do they don't marry him. Candidate Peter Praser had better legrope Agnew and a few of his friends who are disturbing political meetings. Wait with closed mouths until question time and then' let go, but to interrupt all through is bad form and gains votes for the candidate. "Dot" heard men say they had no time for Mack, but were going to support him because the "Red Feds" treated him so badly m the hall he had paid for and so had a right to be permitted to place his views before the constituents of Wellington Central. Willie Hildreth is the National candidate and has three sons fighting for us and for the King. He is a decent, good fellow and his fire is apt to be underestimated. It is rumored that Hons. Mac Donald and Wilford will speak on behalf of the National Government's candidate. Mr. Garmson, the returned soldier, is resting on a broken reed if he expects to be supported by his own organisation. The latter is far too anxious to be friends with the Hon. Sir James Allen and his officers than to stand by Mr. Garmson or any other returned man who may have political aspirations. Who knows, one of the leaders may yet be appointed a Minister for Repatriation! * * # "Dot" thanks "Bunny" (Ida Valley) for his letter, re price of rabbits and rabbit traps. He remarks, inter alia, that a writer m a recent issue stated that traps cost 2s, but m Otago they have risen from 10id to 4s 6d each. "Bunny" goes on to say that no rabbits have been frozen this year, consequently the rabblters have had to skin, or sell to the local canning factory, which has large Government contracts. The buyers from this factory asked the trappers to send their rabbits to this factory because they were being tinned for soldiers. After a while it became known that the factory owners received more for the skins alone than they gave for the whole animal, skin and all, and received more for tlie carcase than the men got for all. Then trappers started to skin and prices suddenly dropped far below pre-war prices, but only so far as trappers were concerned. This points clearly to a combine of profiteers, and the poor trapper is the victim. "Bunny" says that if the Government would find markets for rabbits there would be a clearance m Central Otago, and no need to employ inspectors and so waste money. It certainly does appear unfair that rabbits should be cornered, as are wheat, meat and other foods. * * s # Miss Murray, of Auckland, has visited Rotorua and reported adversely upon the state of comfort at the King George Hospital for sick and wounded soldiers. Now, "Dot" was through this building during Colonel Ne wall's reign, and she could not find a single cause for complaint. The O.C. was a father to every lad, and all were comfortable and happy. The Defence chiefs certainly thought that the colonel coddled the men somewhat, but that was a failing m the right direction. At that time the Public Health Department controlled the institution — now it is m the. hands of Defence and has many more officers and such-like appurtenances. Surely a few short months under this department cannot have brought about such a woeful change as Miss Murray describes? * * * "Interested" sends a calm and justifiable criticism dealing with the actions of the Wellington Opera. Society, so far as general principles are concerned, and more' particularly with the yet-to-be-explained vagaries of the "Casting" Committee; Space forbids insertion of the Whole letter, but the following contains the gist of it: ■ A certain young Wellingtonian artiste was given a minor part m the "Gondoliers" soon to be staged m this city. Her excellent . work was' deemed worthy of something better arid she was given a leading part, m which she again excelled after weeks of arduous study and paying for special tuition. Judge of this girl's chagrin at finding herself supplanted by a' Duriedin lady, whose voice and acting is stated to be quite below the standard of the Wellington girl, and the latter relegated to the chorus! Not only is this a reflection upon the girl, but a serious one upon the Society as a whole, which purports to be the Wellington Operatic Society and yet has to drop its own women "and accept Dunedin's help. It would be interesting to have the two — Dunedin and Wellington— girls tried before an unbiased judge. In future let us hope that Wellington can rely on its own talent, and, if not; the Society should not give a girl a leading caste knowingfull well that it was intended at the last mo'meht to employ outsiders. How about the funds, too? An outsider costs much more than a local girl.