Life For Women Of Today Is Not Easy

Chronicle (Levin), 25 May 1949, Page 4

Life For Women Of Today Is Not Easy

Life was not easy for women today, there bel'hg more and more arduous tasks for them to perform than before the war, said the Dominion vice-president - of the Women's Institutes of New Zealand, Mrs. ' Barnicoat, When officiaiiy .pening the Southern Wei.ingtdn Federation's exhibition of arts and erafts in the Regent Hall yesterday. What with rationing worries, shopping difficu'iies and the host of arduous duties which the women Jf today had to perform, it was nice for them in their few nours of respite after a hard day's work to iit down and make such "exquisite, uncommon and useful artic.es" as were on display. The speaker said Jhe felt sure that they Were flhdihg peace of mind'and grea't personal pleasure in learning to make these artibles' With their own hands and 4he same.tihie ptOvidmg .added ceauty for their homes, During the war, the institutes of New Zba artd. had been busy knitling, making and mending for the forces ahd other such work, continued Mrs. Barrticdat. Now She was pleased to see by the standard of the exhibition StiCh a vigorous ijeturn to ihe handicraft . work perrorme'd by the institutes before the war. Makine with the hands was one of the main piatforms in the institutes' policy and She lioped 4oon to see a Dcminion-wide handicraft exhibition, in which §ase she trpsted that many of the entrants at the ' Levin display would lend their exhibits. Stressing the importance of handicraft to the women's institutes, the speaker said that it provided a substittite for .people who Were away from the luxuries of other entertainment or picture theatres. It was obvious from the dispiay that the women were branching out in their idea, and it could not be said that" they still reied on recipes and articles on fchrift to euide them, She complimented the exhibitors on their criginality and workmanship, adding that today there was even Wider spheres Oflehing for them in the wor'd of handicraft. She saw *10 reason why the southern federation could not also institute a series of craft sehools and invite those in "ther districts to attend SO that the knowledge gained would be passed on an'd not be lost. It was a great pity that more peop^ did not learn to do this type of exquisite work. In , concludon the speaker comp'imented all thost conneeted with the exhibition and expressed the hope that it woul'd have a successful and prosperous four days. On behalf of the federation, the president, Mrs. H. S. Powell, sincerely thanked those who had rendered assistanee.