SIGHING MAIDS OF EUROPE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16448, 31 May 1919, Page 5

SIGHING MAIDS OF EUROPE.

CAN’T FIND MEN TO MARRY. LONDON, Marcli 8. The dearth of marriageable men in Europe compared with the .surplus of marriageable women is emphasising an after-war problem which daily is assuming more lively interest, particularly in Great Britain, where it has been estimated there aro more than a million and a half women who never will ho married, and perhaps never will bo asked to.

There are any number of suggestions to meet this situation, among them a demand for tho mobilisation of bachelors for marriage, with tho alternative of paying an income tax for retaining their bachelorhood during these trying times. It is pointed out by others'that Solomon helped to solve just such a question, but although some suggest that polygamy is the way out they are quick to add that no one, especially women particularly interested, would tolerate plural marriage. Some well-known women declare that tho shortage of men will put a premium on match-making by mothers.

Just now Great Britain is “jaze dance” mad after four years of almost total abstinence, but here also the shortage of .men is so apparent that the custom is growing of abandoning the formalities of introduction so that good “jazzers” can bo secured for private dancers.

A suggestion is publicly made that many of Great Britain’s unmarried women should go to the colonies to find husbands, but the answer has come from tho colonies that their war losses in man-power have created a similar situation, though not so acute as in the Mother Country.