LONDON SCENE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 119, 22 May 1942, Page 2

LONDON SCENE

SUCCESSFUL BUREAU

WOMEN'S LABOUR EXCHANGE (By Our London Lady Correspondent.) The "woman to woman" inquiry bureau and labour exchange, opened by the Ministry of Labour in premises formerly occupied by Court dressmakers, has proved such a success that the scheme may well be adopted overseas. I have talked to women and girls thronging the Oxford Street bureau, and everyone has remarked upon the difference it makes to go into a bright, friendly reception room, rather than to enter the rather grim labour exchange. Moreover, anyone can inquire about possible work without being pressed to "join up," although most inquirers do sign the necessary papers before leaving the bureau. Women representing every branch of the war effort are in attendance to give other women the benefit of their knowledge and experience. There must be such women in other lands and your authorities would doubtlessly follow up the scheme if representations were made.

Rationed Patients Country nursing homes are experiencing acute difficulties consequent on the shortage of nurses. Surgeons and other specialists are even being forced to ration their patients, operations being performed not to suit the convenience of the patient but with regard to the possibility or otherwise of getting the necessary nursing attention. I heard to-day of a fairly big nursing home where one night nurse had to look after all the invalids in the house. The big London clinics do not report the same difficulties. But patients are a little chary of under•going operations when, before they reach the convalescent stage, they may be submitted to bombing. Even the promise that they will be pushed into the lifts, bed and all, and taken down into a shelter, does not reconcile them to the risk. Land and Sea

The two sisters of Miss Victoria Drummond, the woman engineer of the merchant navy who was decorated by the King last year for gallantry, are working as hard on land as she is at sea. Miss Jean and Miss Frances Drummond live at Lambeth, in a flat which stands almost alone since the blitzes descended upon the neighbourhood. They refuse to leave because in this district is the Queen Victoria Girls' Club, where they spend most of their time when not doing A.R.P. work. • The Queen Victoria Girls' Club is one of Miss Victoria Drummond's interests, too, she being a god-daughter of the late Queen Victoria. But her sisters look after the girls, cook for them, mend for them, arrange entertainments, and generally take them under the family wing, with the help of their mother, the Hon. Mrs. Drummond, who is a daughter of the first Lord Aivherst of Hackney. There is also a b itish-American restaurant in the disti ict, named after the intrepid sea woman.

Devonshire Wedding Older folk who remember the I great festivals at Chatsworth when daughters of the late Duke of Devonshire's family were married will sigh when they hear that the oldest of the nieces of the present duke is to be married in a small city church. This bride-to-be is Miss Arbell Mackintosh, the only child of the duke's eldest sister, Lady Maud Baillie, by her first marriage. Miss Mackintosh, whose father was killed in the last war, is a great favourite with the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, and was often in the house-party when the late King George was entertained by the Devonshires at Bolton Abbey for the shooting. There is an amusing story of Arbell's meeting with His Majesty when she was a very small girl. They chatted in the garden for a few minutes, when the King said he must go in to breakfast. you'd better," the little girl replied. "If you're late you'll catch it from grannie."