HITHER AND THITER

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 254, 26 October 1937, Page 2

HITHER AND THITER

Dance at Nukuniaru. In aid of hall funds, a dance has been arranged for to-night in the Nukumaru Hall. Jack Hooker's Band, featuring Stuart Gordon in special items, will provide the music for the programme, which will include novelty dances. A ’bus is timed to leave Hodson’s garage at 7.30 p.m. sharp. Cobweb and Spiders as Decorations. One hostess in a northern city evolved a most original idea recently for decorations for a dance. As October is spring cleaning time the novel plan was adopted of covering the ceiling with a huge cobweb, with flies and spiders—supposedly collected during the energetic cleaning activities—suspended in artistic patterns. Throngs of these long-legged invaders wore in the supper room, while giant flies were poised on the cakes. In the corners of the rooms the spiders sulked morosely as though waiting for the more guileless flies. W.G.C.O.G.A. Wellington Branch. The members of the Wellington branch of the Wanganui Girls’ College Old Girls’ Association recently held their annual meeting and election of officers. During the evening a most interesting lecture and demonstration of dancing was presented by Miss Marjorie Bell (a well-known former Wanganui-ite), a student of the Margaret Morriss School of Movement, London. Sincere tributes were paid by those present to Mrs. D. A. Claridge and Miss J. Grainger, the retiring president and secretary respectively, for all they had done for the association during their terms of o,flice. The following officers were elected: President, Mrs. C. Ashburn Chisholm; vice-presidents, Mesdames J. Thompson Macky, A. B. Gibbons J R. Perry, G. E. Littlejohn; committee, Mesdames F. Grainger, D. A. Claridge and Miss D. Blythe, D. Grainger, M. Belt M. Palmer-Brown; secretary’ and treasurer, Miss H. Barton.

An Artist’s Opinions. A suggestion that a loan collection of paintings from New Zealand should be organised for exhibition at the public art galleries in the Australian State capital cities was made by Mrs. L. G. Ashton, of Sydney, who arrived at Auckland last week A former student at the Elam School of

Art, Mrs. Ashton is a well-known exhibitor at exhibitions of the Auckland Society of Arts and other leading New Zealand art societies. Discussing art in Australia, Mrs. Ashton said that with the exception of the Society of I Artists, whose members included front-rank painters, New Zealand had .no cause to feel envious of the merit of tne work being done in Australia.' Much of it could not be compared in sensitivity or craftsmanship with the best of the work being done by New Zealand artists, who, she thought, should give Australians more frequent opportunities to see it.

Escaped with Suitcase. With only one suitcase containing her personal belongings, and the clothes which she was wearing, Mrs. A. L. Nutt, wife of the Assistant Trade Commissioner for Australia in Shanghai, travelled down the Whang Poo River in a British warship to join the Empress of Britain with 1300 other refugees, states the Sydney Morning Herald. “The ship would not come up the river because of the troops shelling the banks. After the bombing started on August 13 I did not leave my apartment from Saturday until the following Thursday, when I left, because of the looting which was going on in the streets. The refugees, who were sleeping in the streets, could not get food, although I think organised relief is now available,” Mrs. Nutt said.

“From my apartment in the Grosvenor, which was very high, I could see the ’planes flying overhead daily with their loads of bombs, and I saw one dropped which killed about 400 Chinese.”

Appeal to Women cf N.Z. Mrs. T. H. Lowry, New Zealand president of the Red Cross Society, who is in Wellington at present in connection with the organisation of the New Zealand joint appeal for £lO,OOO to send doctors, anaesthics and medical supplies for relief in the Sino-Japanese conflict, has received word from Hongkong telling of Red Cross relief activities there. Hongkong has more than it can do to cope with the refugees, and most of the European women have offered their services to the Red Cross there. Great difficulty was being experienced in accommodating the flood of refugees to the city. A suggestion has been made that an appeal be launched among the club-women of New Zealand for money for medical relief, which was urgently and tragically needed. Mrs. Lowry urges the women of New Zealand to contribute all the help they can towards achieving the £lO,OOO aimed at.