CURRENT NOTES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23976, 17 June 1943, Page 2

CURRENT NOTES

Her Excellency Lady Newall, with the Mayor, Mr E. H. Andrews, and the Mayoress, Miss E. Couzins, visited the Burwood Hospital, and her Excellency distributed the first issue of tobacco from the Mayoress’s Tobacco Fund to the servicemen who are patients there. Miss Marjorie Leaf, secretary of the Victoria League in London, mentions in a letter to Mrs O. Greenwood, Fendalton, that she had attended a lecture given in London by Miss Nancy Northcroft, a member of the Christchurch branch of the Victoria League, and the holder of a British Council scholarship. Miss Northcroft gave an interesting account of housing in New Zealand. Recognised by the blue bib overalls and navy drill jackets which most of them wear, 150 girl herd-testers, travelling by horse-drawn vehicles because of the petrol shortage, have, during the last season, been carrying (put important work for the herd recording department of the Dairy Board. Their employment has only one great disadvantage for the department, which finds that too many have been getting married to farmers, and recruits are ' constantly required to take their places. Group herd-testing of 205,000 cows is being carried out by these girls, who, next week, will attend a three-day refresher course in Wellington. In a letter to Mrs Oakleigh Greenwood, Fendalton, thanking her and members of her Victoria League Babies’ Bee for a consignment of “brcath-takingly lovely baby clothes,” Miss Marjorie Leaf, secretary of the Victoria League in London, writes: "It is quite true to say that such things are now unobtainable in r.is country, as we cannot get the materials from which to make thorn.” Most of the goods, she says, will be given to the officers’ families fund, and most of those who receive them are wives of men serving overseas. Miss M. Skoglund. secretary of the Christchurch branch of the league, received a letter of (hanks from Lady Smith-Dornen. who expressed deep appreebtion of a consignment of baby clothes, cotcovers, and pullovers, They will, she writes, help a class of people who are often in dire straits, owing to present tragic conditions. Lady Smith-Dornen is president of the clothing branch of the officers’ families fund. Brigadier A. S. Falconer, D.5.0.. M.C., who returned to New Zealand from’ the Middle East some months ago gave an address illustrated with maps of North Africa, at the monthly social gathering held at the Welcome Club yesterday under the auspices oi the Fighting Services’ Next-of-Kin Society. There was a large and representative gathering of residents of Banks Peninsula in the Akaroa Boating Club’s social hall. More than £2O vyas raised to benefit the candidature of the Lyttelton queen in the forthcoming contest Dance music was played by A.B.’s Green, Ross, and Anderson, and extras by Mrs J. McNabb, Miss Molly Macphail, and Mr R. A. H. Stewart. Captain Herbert thanked all who had helped to make the dance a success. The proceeds will help the men of the Merchant Navy.

Nurse Pritchett’s report, presented at the monthly meeting of the Riccarton sub-branch of the Plunket Society, showed that the society’s rooms in Riccarton had been open during May on four whole days and four half days. The nurse had paid 15 visits to homes and of these eight were to new cases. One hundred and sixty-seven adults and 166 babies had visited the rooms and five new cases had been attended to. Mrs H. S. S. Kyle presided at the meeting. At the June meeting of the Port Levy W.D.F.U., a vote of sympathy with the Coop family in its recent bereavement was passed.

Dorothy Thompson, newspaper columnist and radio commentator, is to marry Maxim Kopf, a Czech painter and refugee from Prague. Miss Thompson, who is 49 years old and a graduate of Lewis Institute, in Chicago, later studied at Columbia University, the University of Vienna, and McGill University, Toronto. In 1923 she married Josef Bard, whom she divorced. Her second husband, to whom she was married in 1928, was Sinclair Lewis, author and playwright, who won the Nobel prize in literature in 1930. There is one son of the marriage, Miss Thompson divorced Mr Lewis some time ago. The lady editor of "The Press" gratefully acknowledges receipt of warm dressings from Mrs G. D. Macfarlane, Riccarton, and Mrs W. R. Carey, Cashmere, for a tubercular patient, golf clubs for soldier patients at Burwood from Miss M. Taylor and Miss Amy Bowker. and a parcel of books, magazines, and games from Mrs G. Davis. New Brighton, for men of the Merchant Navy. The lady editor would be grateful for a warm cardigan for a boy of 12 who is suffering from tuberculosis.

The annual meeting of the Riccarton Garden Club was held at the home of Mrs Arthur Stewart, Hamilton avenue. Forty-five members were present. Officers were elected as follows: —President, Mrs R. K. Merton; vice-presidents, Mrs Arthur Stewart and Mrs W. Milne Shand; honorary secretary, Mrs N. S. Cramond; honorary treasurer, Mrs H. B. Duckworth; committee, Mesdames R. T. Tosswill, J. R. Templin, M. W. Beaven, Mrs R. Keir, Mrs D. Denton, and Miss J. Jones. It was decided to give out of the fund £9 9s for war activities. The president thanked the hostess for an enjoyable afternoon. There was a good attendance at the annual meeting of the Fendalton Garden Club Held at the home of Mrs A. R. Blank, "Vailima,” Glandovcy road. Presentations were made to Mrs A. R. Blank and to Mrs F. Nicholls. the retiring secretary. A competition was won by Miss A. Scott. Afternoon tea was served by the committee, and a donation of £1 Is was sent to the Horticultural Society. Officers were elected as follows:—President, Mrs A. R. Blank; vice-presidents, Mesdames D. Crozier and E. Somers; secretary and treasurer, Mrs MacNicol; committee, Mesdames M. W. Simes, G. Royds, J. Mortlock, J. Kernahan, and Miss A. Scott. No dry, chapped, rough skin for you this winter—Got Lemon-Glisco, the all-Lemon Skin emollient—Sold everywhere—Cook and Ross, Ltd., Colombo street, Christchurch. —1

Stocktaking Bargains at Drages. Beautiful Ranzware, strong and useful. Frj Pans, 19s 6d; Casseroles. 22s 6d; Stew Pans, 36s 6d. The Three at 2s weekly. Drages Friendly Credit Terms. Drages, “Home Planning Centre.” enr, Manchester and Tuam streets. —1