GOOD FROM WAR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 142, 19 June 1939, Page 10

GOOD FROM WAR

REAWAKENING IN SPAIN. WOM EN’S EMANCIPATION. BURGOS, Spain. Civil war has brought a radical change to the life of the women of Spain. For all -its horrors and all the harm it has done the country, the war has given women a new position of usefulness to the nation and at the same time freed them from a host of petty traditional restrictions on their personal liberty. Before the war a well-bred Spanish girl had little chance to be of real service outside the home, and she was rigidly restricted in ner personal life by custom. She could not go out without a chaperon, even to shops or restaurants, let alone a cafe or an American bar. She could not take an office job unless she was willing to let her social standing go by the board, and if she was her family would rarely consent. War demanded service of everybody who could give it. Spanish girls responded with the men. and throughout the war they have done their full share. They took jobs in Government offices, freeing men for fighting or other service. They did nursing work in the hospitals. More and Mure Freedom. But it was hard to carry on work like that and keep a chaperon at hand al! the time. The result was that gradually and almost imperceptibly restrictions relaxed and Spanish girls won more and more freedom. Whenever a town was captured by General Franco’s troops or surrendered the chief branch of the women’s organisation came into action immediately. It is known as Auxilio Social—social aid. Behind the lines it set up canteens for the soldiers, sometimes within 100 yards of the front lines, as in University City o n the outskirts of Madrid. Farther back there were dining rooms for < hiidren. “brotherhood kitchens.” where hot meals were served, and centres for distributing baskets of food. When Madrid fell Auxilio Social Workers followed the first few soldiers into the city. Wilhin a day they were serving 800.000 meals. Long Food Queues. Hundreds of persons waitec patiently in long lines in front of cafe; where the Auxilio Social girls were handing out rations. Each would gel a small loaf of bread and a cup o dried beans or a bag of potatoes tc take home. Soldiers and others who had n< homes were given cooked food. Hall of those standing in the lines wen disarmed Loyalist soldiers. Since ther they have been herded into concent ration camps, but for several days thej had to depend on the food that wai given to them. Auxilio Social was founded ir October. 1936. three and a-hal months after the outbreak of the war under the direction of Merceries Sam Bachiller. In the last two days o that month, with its work just start tng. it gave a total of 6200 meals tc hungry children. In January .1937. it served 369.45? meals to 460 adults. Last Decern oei 9.588,977 meals were served to 155.17.: persons, almost equally divided between children and adults. Without the women and their work the Nationalists would have had a far more serious problem on their hand' in restoring Madrid to normal after its surrender.