MAINLY FOR WOMEN

Waikato Independent, Volume XLV, Issue 6236, 9 May 1949, Page 6

MAINLY FOR WOMEN

WEDDING PARKER—WARREN St. Peter’s Church, Cambridge, we again the secne of a pretty weddin when Kathleen Dulcie, only daughtt of Constable and Mrs B. Warren we married to Geifory Charles Parke son of Mr Charles Parker, of We lington. The officiating priest wa the Rev. Father Quinn, and the orgai ist Miss D. Flescher;- Mr W. Wrigh of Matangi, was soloist. Churc decorations had been done by th Sisters of the Mission. The bride, >vho was given away b her father, wore a beautiful Victoi ian gown of heavy ivory America slipper satin. Revealing a pleate satin slip at the hem of the gown th four tiers of the skirt were caught u to form drapings, each drape caugl' with orange blossom. The long pufl ed sleeves came to a point over th hands, while defining the back of th bodice was a row of tiny buttons. He veil was of long flowing uncut tulh surmounted on a crown of orang blossom. Nerines, white roses an maiden hair fern, formed the crescet] shaped bouquet. Attending her as bridesmaids wer the Misses Kathleen Connett, of T Aroha, Kathleen Warren, of Tama here-, cousins of the bride, Moira Me Donald, of Hamilton, and Maria Sege din, of Cambridge, who were dresse alike in period frocks of white moir taffeta, caught up round the skirt i tiers alternately with white gai denias. Fitting bodices with lo\ rucked neckline and puffed sleeves Choker pearls, gifts of the bride groom were worn and unusual head dresses of waist length angel-ski: lace mantillas worn over gardenias i: their hair, fan-shaped bouquets of re roses and maidenhair fern, complete' their dress. Jane Parker (Gisborne niece of the bridegroom was flower girl, her frock which was a replica o the bride’s was worn with a crown o white forget-me-nots and lilac, wit) tulle waist length veil. She carried : Victorian posy of cream and whit roses. Mr Stanley Parker and Mr Pa Parker, both of Gisborne, attends the groom. The ushers were Mr ,1 Casey (Hamilton) and Mr W. Wrigh (Matangi). > At the reception, which was held a the Midland Hotel, the bridal coupl sat beneath an arch of greenery and i floral bell. To receive the guests Mr Warren wore a black boucle sui piped with black satin, silver fox fur and accessories to match. Miss Park er, who assisted her, chose a blacl frock with shirred taffeta insets ii the skirt, silver fox furs and blacl accessories. Both wore shoulde: sprays of red roses. For travelling the bride wore i turquoise gabardine tailored costumi with brown accessories. They will make their future hom< in Kelburn, Wellington. FRENCH DRESS DESIGNER TO TEACH AT OTAGO HOME SCIENCE SCHOOL Mr Rene Thevenot,* son of a leading French dress designer, of Vichy, arrived in New. Zealand to become lecturer in dress designing at the Home Science School, University of Otago. Aged 24 and full of vigour and enthusiasm for his new work, Mr Thevenot landed wearing the jacket of the Free French Forces and the ribbon of his Croix de Guerre, won in fighting in the Marine Infantry in France during the closing stages of war. Mr Thevenot said he had entered into a contract to teach for one year at the Home Science School. He had always wanted to secure an overseas appointment, and was offered this opportunity through the organisation of dress designers in Paris. He was surprised to find that the English lie learned at college and the little he had picked up in France was standing him in good stead He acquired more fluency with English on the voyage out, and is now quite confident in his speech. His family had been in the dress designing business for many years, and his father owned a large establishment in Vichy, one of the leading fashion centres of France, he said. He studied under his father and worked with him in his business. He also did designing in Paris. Dress designing was, of course, a large industry in France, said Mr Thevenot. A big business was done with both Britain and he Unied Saes. Dresses often sold from £SO to £IOO each, but the cost of running a designing establishment was heavy. There was not only the work of designing to be done, but models, to be paid, long hours spent in sketching, making and adjusting creations, and much money to be spent on the preparation and exhibition of collections. Then taxation was extremely high. He had time to see the 1949 collections of the leading countries at the exhibitions in Paris in February before lie left, said Mr Thevenot. The tendency was toward a slight shortening of the skirts, which appeared to be stabilising at 12 inches from the ground. The waistline which had been high last year, was now a little lower, sometimes with small, false hips. Feature of the new styles were kimono 'sleeves coming straight from sloping shoulders without seams ■ and three-quarer length.

MORE PEOPLE IN HOSPITAL 55 PER CENT. RISE IN 10 YEARS Every day in New Zealand there are . 10,200 people occupying beds in public . hospitals. The total has risen by 55 per ; cent., in the last 10 years. » , These facts were indicated in figures quoted by the Minister of Health, Miss Howard, when she opened the eleventh bi-ennial general conference of the New , Zealand Hospital BoarGs’ Association in Wellington. Miss Howard’s figures recorded that because of increasing demands, coupled with higher costs and deferred maintenance, New Zealand hospital board expenditure had been trebled since 1938-39. Staffs had been doubled in the same period. * Miss Howard said that whereas hospital board expenditure was £2,722,766 in 1938,-39, it was estimated in round figures at £8.9 million for 1948-49. The number of daily occupied beds showed an estimated increase from 6590 to 10,200 and available accommodation from 8808 beds to 13,500. But patient attendance more than doubled —from 563,466 to an estimated 1.2 million. Total staff employed was 7704 in 193839 and was now, about 15,000. Average rates of pay for nurses had increased two-and-a-half times. In addition to expansion of services and staff, contributing factors in the high level of expenditure were increased prices and decayed building maintenance due to the j unavoidable accumulation during the war | years. The Dominion, said Miss Howard, was | regarded by authorities elsewhere as forjtunate in its hospital system in that it 'provided for complete coverage of the country by hospital boards, the means of linking up all hospital and allied services, and an assured system of finance. •It was generally agreed that New Zea- ! land had in that system all the means at ! its disposal for the development and i maintenance of a comprehensive and coordinated hospital service. The inauguration of hospital and allied benefits undoubtedly gave and impetus to the development of a national health service. Above all, it imposed a still greater duty to ensure that they services for which benefits were provided were more generally available and not dependent on purely local initiative and financial capacity. The administrative responsibilities of the central government became more pronounced and it was inevitable that the Government would assume the main burden of cost. The limitation of the rate of levy by hospital boards on local authorities had marked a profound change in the sysem. For the past year the total levies were £1,412,817, and the subsidy payable from the Consolidated Fund £4,941, 832, whereas in 1938-39 the comparable figures were £944,071 for levies on local authorities and £983,608 for the Government subsidy. Except for increases arising from time to time under revaluation, the local contributions now remained stable, and it might be said that virtually all future increases in expenditure devolved on Government funds. Further increases were expected for the present year with the coming into effect of new scales of salaries and wages.