ENGLAND TO-DAY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 788, 19 August 1916, Page 11

ENGLAND TO-DAY.

WOMEN ON THE LAND.. THE SEEIOUS SIDE OF AFFAIRS. ISpecially Written for THE SUN-1 About IS months ago a scheme was started in England by which women should be trained, or at least used, for work on the land in {dace of men who had joined the colours. Of course, in many districts this had been the ease for some time. Only a few months after the declaration of war there was neither man nor grown boy le,ft on Goodwood, the estate of the Duke of Richmond, for example. There such work as lay within the powers of the women was done or had to stay undone. Up and down Great Britain it was the same here and there, and with the coming of compulsion it became the same nearly everywhere. Curiously, the country tribunals were in many cases less ready to grant exemptions than those of the bigger towns. To-day it may be said that the shortage of men in any one district depends upon the in terpretation its tribunal put on certain set phrases. But, to return to the subject of women and work on the land —about IS months ago the scheme was talked over, and three months later a party of ladies was at work close to Lincoln, baling hay from the previous year's stacks. Soon after another such party was in the field in Devon, working round about Exeter. Others followed. The value of the work done might well be made the subject of discussion —at least some of it will be, after the war. The Government was in a state of mind to learn quickly, to see dearly where the faults toy —even if it had neither the heart nor the desire to remedy them at the expense of the pride of ladies whose efforts were well meaning, if a trifle ridiculous. Also the unfitted had a habit, of eliminating themselves. A few facts became obvious. A party could not be permitted to g# its own way, and be to-day a working party, rr morrow a picnic, and the. day after a mixture of the two. Nor could wellmeaning amateurs be allowed to raise the wrath of farmers by well-bred insolence, and the envy of labourers by late rising and long lunch hours. There had to be a serious control, and a business purpose whi"h would exclude consideration of m -h bevond the task in hand.

The British authorities have the public on a moilern and more scientific version of Throgmorton *s fork. If they say something, you can choose for yourself whether you believe they are doing anything or not. Pictures in the half-penny papers are no guide; nad it is axiomatic that when they say nothing they are working hard. In this ease they made sure of it by allowing Miss Blank, the well-known patriot from Muddlethorpe Grange, Blankshire, to have her picture in the "Daily Mirror," and the county publication"; and at the same time they trained a few women who were suitable for the purpose, and fit to bp made the leaders of others. The British have always lots of lost time to their credit.

The amateurs might, play about—the turn of the others was to come later, when the need was real. And the need was real when the compulsion scheme became real in its results. It was known by then that the undisciplined hordes that used to go a'hopping down in Kent were unfitted for lengthy tasks, and that the society ladies were able to take their patriotism very seriously, but not to apply it in any way that was worth while. So they asked for women of small private income to come to help. There was to be pay, just about enough to cover expenses. Superintendence sufficient to check the bright principle of chaperones who were "passengers,"' and arrangements for cooking ami washing, and fit places to sleep. T am in a "land camp" which is going ahead splendily. After a week's work one began to realise that 70 hands get over a lot of work. The hours are long, and the work hardish, but never heavy. At first I was stiff, but that wore off. We were hoeing strawberries, thinning raspberries, cutting and packing cabbages. Then a week of hay making, and after that fruit picking. We are called at 5 o'clock, have a cup of tea. breakfast at 8.30, eat our dinner at 1 o'clock, take tea at 6J5, and milk at bed time. We all have to be in bed by nine. There is a canteen where we can buy anything extra we. want. I get cheese and extra milk and; a few other things like that. The food j expenses are kept as low as possible, ! and last week worked out at 7/6 per; head. The woman in charge is splendid,' with an exceptional personality. She is! good looking, business like, and has a i sweet, way. There is an orderly in each j hnt, and there are from five to eight i girls in each. The washing is done by j contract, and bare necessities cost us ! 1/- per week. There is a constant sup- j ply of hot. water, but we have to carry I it ourselves to the special bath huts, or j wherever else we want it. We wear brown-red casement stuff: knickers, short coat and skirt —it looks ! rather well. I wear boys' boots, and I some of them add leggings. We are divided into lots of J!>, each lot looked after by a girl who has had previous training. They are all five girls, and some happen to be good to look at. They '

are browned to a nice chocolate, and of the amusing, sensible type—those I am with. The ages vary, naturally, and so do the places they come from, and the tilings they have to talk about. One, of uncertain age, is very tine. Three Irish girls from the West have good eyes and hair and skin: and there is something of the wild about them. The English, they say, know nothing; but the Irish always know other peoples. If you want to know whether a person is Irish or English, they say, speak of Lloyd George. If the person runs him down, she s English' There's a woman who says she is French, talks like a Belgian, and looks like the original Carmen. Mostly we are as usual, but there are the educated women from Oxford. A loud, high voice, little lecturettes, and big knowledge—one woman says she thanks heaven she can't spell if these characteristics go with the ability. A woman who used to be wearied' with things says she came to this camp to turn into a cabbage, but they will give her a botanical name! A break of 10 days, for it is difficnlt to write when there are women every* where, and each woman has only one hour a day to herself. We have had oar first day at strawberry picking. It is killing work. One is racked and sff*nt-* N od and torn by it; but it doesn’t really matter, and the days pass. Soon there will be 400 of us instead of SO. All different from 12 months ago; at least in this county from where I wu then. Tiie men have gone really this time. Trees are lying where they fell in the winter, telegraph pole* are down; and there is a general air of neglect. Close by is a factory where they dry vegetables by steam, so that they can be sent to the war. New, too, since the war. Lest it seem too hard, we have permission to bathe, six at a time, in the pond of a homestead near by; and acr cricket team is to play a local school in a fortnight. M.P.T. Somewhere in England, July 1.