THE LADIES' CHAIN

NZ Truth, Issue 852, 18 March 1922, Page 2

THE LADIES' CHAIN

Facts and Fiction for Femininity

(BY MARY B. CONTRARY)

I-lave you heard the latest bit of scandal from Thorndon? A well-known society damsel who has, for some years past, been engaged m a mesalliance with a well-known farmer, has had to leave suddenly for a sea trip to a far-off Dominion. The parents are heart-fbroken, and it is said more will be heard of the matter from another quarter, although every effort is being made to hush it up.

For downright cheek commend mo to the thief Who one day last week picked up a new door-mat at the front entrance to a well-known medico's residence m Boulcott-street and then walked round the back and sold it to the doctor's wife. The mat originally cost 15s and the wife was able to buy it from the thief for just half this sum. Shortly after the deal was concluded the husband walked m and asked the wife why she shifted the new mat from the surgery door? Explanations followed and .wine decided that m future she will not buy from hawkers- ,

Everybody is asking when blustering Bill Massey is going to silence that very verbose individual called Parr. The perky person is getting beyond all reasonable limits, and what iwith Miss Park and Dr. McKrbbin he has his hands full. If "M.8.C." is any judge, Dr. McKibbin will make mince-meat of the windy one, though the final result will be that the Health Department will lose his services. Then 'he will settle m Auckland and practise .privately. The ad. he .will get out of; the -Parr business will be worth big money to him.

Everyday "Mary" hears sad cases of the poverty engendered by ihe'.Government's retrenchment scheme. Of course, the retrenchment had to come, but it might have been done m a far better way. Women with widowed mothers to keep have been thrown out of employment, while the services of others m quite good circumsitances have been retained. For instance, one of the Public Service Commissioners has a daughter m the service, and so has a very wealthy M.P. Surely, these women should have been .put off' before those mentioned above. A few weeks ago there was a flutter of excitement when it .was given out that some of the very old maids m the telephone- exchange were to be retrenched, and the younger ones were conjuring up visions of promotion, but it all ended m smoke- Presumably the old. hands were able to bring influence to bear to enable them to stop where they are.'

A Wanganui correspondent writes asking why the writer did not "take on" the unregistered nurses when discussing the -white- aiproned. ones m a recent issue. "M.B.C" will cortainly "take them on," as my slangy correspondent wishes. Nothing would please the writer better than to see the law amended so that no one bu.t certificated nurses could act. Too often the lying-in homes kept by these .women are nothing more nor less than refuges where females m distress can be '"doctored." The medical profession know these places, and so do the police; but seemingly it is most' difficult to eradicate them. In these sultry days, when it is hard to keep oneself cool, let alone one's food, the following recipe for replacing ice m the cooling of milk, butter, blancmange, jelly and anything of that character will be of interest: Squeeze the, blue bag into, a vessel of cold water ■until' it becomes quite dark m color. Add a handful of salt and . then place the- vessel containing what you desire to cool m, the mixture. "M.'B.C." does not recommend this for physical, purpose's. The blue might- not come out and it would be embarrassing to. have to run around like a lot of wbadedBritons."

Promiscuous spooning m conservatories and the "other shady places of the dancing earth .is likely""- to die a sudden death now that Fashion has decreed that we are to wear orange and blue faces with our orange and blue . evening gowns (says an English lady writer). Other colors and complexions en suite naturally. Although my very soul goes out m pity to the partner of the lady who chooses a black outfit, and, therefore, presumably, for Fashion must toe served though lovers die the death, the. complexion of a sweep or a Christy minstrel. It .was bad' enough for man m the old days, when woman used the ordinary Rachel, natural and .pink powders. Goodness knows they left trail enough on the coats of our. longsuffering — and short- embracing — partners, but when it. comes to flouring them liberally (with orange- or blue complexion fodder— well, you> really can't wonder if even the most lamblike man turns tail, and flees to . the,--.Z00,; where, even if the monkeys are blue,, they are true blue; the colon/ doesn't come off -in the squeeze, at least.

"Digger" writes: "A paragraph appeared m your ladies' column last week giving good, sound advice to mothers to see that they patronise European fruit shops on. the grounds of hygiene. Your .correspondent " deserves .great praise for. so pointedly brinjging this question again under public notice. I do not propose to enlarge upon the question of hygiene, beyond saying that any man or woman with the sense of smell only partially developed, that will take the trouble to .pass these shops, or enter one, m the opening hours of the morning, will be sufficiently gassed to have conviction driven'home without the use of the clubI am seriously at a loss to understand the action of Europeans on this qucs-' tion. Only recently two ladies were seen drinking mineral water m a Chinese shop, yet a large marble bar- and several confectioners' shops, were near, at hand where they could have been more hygienically served. Ye gods! Now, the sentence that really appealed to me was,' ' People think the Chinaman can sell so much cheaper than his white brother.' Does he? I am not disputing but what he' can, under existing conditions, but affirm he does not. I speak with some intimate knowledge of the trade; nothing annoys the Chinaman so much as competition and cutting. On all sides one hears complaints with regard to high prices of fruit and vegetables, yet the i Chinaman gives considerable. help m this directiqn of dear goods. The vendors welcome him with open- arms, because usually he is content to take: the goods at any old «price. A visit by any intelligent citizen at the markets for a few days would prove this.' Now, what is happening and going. to happen? The Chinese are organised as Chinese to capture this trade, and they are doing it. When accomplished, look out for prices. The awakening, I am afraid, will "be somewhat late. Ih some cases the Chinese make good window displays, but does the (purchaser obtain the same quality of goods shown? In many cases I affirm not."

" Constant Reader." (Masterton) wants directions for knitting the trellis work; pattern.' Can any of my readers oblige?..