WOMEN'S DIVISION

Chronicle (Levin), 18 July 1946, Page 2

WOMEN'S DIVISION

^ „ OTAKI -TE HORO BRANCII MEETS i I ■ A large gathering of women! asseiiibled in the Anglican Hali, • Otaki, last week under the auspicesi of the Otaki — Te Horo branch of the Women's Division of Federated Farmers to hear a talk by Miss F. j Holmes, recently returned after six j years in England. The occasion ' was a coin aicernoon to raise lunas j for sending parcels to people of England. The meeting commenced! with the reciting of the women's 1 creed, and was followed by the rou- j tine monthly business of the j branch. The president, Mrs. Walker, then j called on Miss Holmes, the guestj speaker, to address the gathering. i Miss Holmes gave a graphic j account of lif e in England during j |the past six years, giving aithorough explanation of the food 'position. She brought with her a ( tray of rationed goods — one week'Sj 1 supply — meat, butter, cheese, milk, j ,jam, etc. The average N.Z. farm- \ er would easily "polish off" most oi ; the week's ration in one meal. Miss Holmes then went on to explain | i the points system, showing how , ; difficult it was to eke out the 'ration. Points would not go far. and were necessarily used on those j foods which required least points,' a matter of quantity rather than ; quality. Tinned meats, if procur- j iable, mostly stayed in the shops as the number of points to be sur- ; rendered made them almost pro- ; hibitive-. Vegetables, potatoes and bread formed a large part of the . diet, which became very anonot- j onous. Clothing coupons, too, were i f ew, and "Patch and be Patriotic" | became the slogan. People did ' patch, too! Miss Holmes gave a very inter- ! esting account of her experiences j during the blitz, and h^- hsceners were able to form a mental picture j of the hardships and trials of that time, but her talk was well interspersed with humorous incidents, many otherwise trying experiences having their amusing side. It was this sense of humour, whivh, without doubt, enabled the people of Britain to carry on through those times of strain. The speaker stressed the tremendous importance of food parcels, the Christmas stocking thrill they brought to those who received them, and she urged her hearers to keep on sending them, as they made such a vastly welcome differ-enc'e-to -the monotonous diet. She gave practical advice as to the most acceptable articles to send. Fat was one of the most important, and, of course, tinned meats, milk powder, etc. At the conclusion of her talk, Miss Holmes was presented with a shoulder spray by Mrs. Walker, who expressed the thanks' and appreciation of those prssent for the very interesting and hy-lpful talk. Afternoon tea was then enjoyed, afuer which Miss Holmes answered varijous questions put to her. Thc iafternoon resulted in a good sum • being raised for parcels. I The National Anthem concludec. an enjoyable afternoon.