WOMEN'S WORK IN SYDNEY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2838, 1 August 1916, Page 3

WOMEN'S WORK IN SYDNEY

SMALL LOANS FUND. The Centre at Eldon Chambers, 92b Pitt Street, Sydney,' where the dependants of soldiers'receive assistance, finds its work increasing every day, states tho "Sunday Times." Fortunately, during the year of its existence the workers have made a carcfiil study of the difficulties of soldiers' dependants, and they are now able to rapidly classify them and refer them to the proper channels for rempdy. .The Centre has kept closely to the- policy, it laid down, that it would not itself give. relief, but would refer cases to tho existing- patriotic fundu as they were suitable. Jn this way the Centre has proved a,great help to the officials of the Lord Mayor's Patriotic Fund, who welcome its cooperation. The friendly help and neighbourliness that supplements the material help of the fund is especially a function of the • branches which the Centre has established in the. city and suburban districts. Pay questions are n special and everrecurriug difficulty—though fortunately not so frequent i)s in the early days of the. walr.'' One -member of the Centre lifts' specialised in these questions/and pays a weekly visit to the Barracks to discuss them'with the paymaster on behalf of ,tfte applicants. ' It is obvious that one woman who knows the procedure can deal better with the cases of twenty different applicants than one applicant can do witli her own. The pay officials, too, are quite alivo to the value of having the matter in question sot out in proper fashion. It is true that this pay lady conies up occasionally against an official "thus far and no.further."—the barrier being theVdifferent way a woman regards certain moral questions and the rights of women from what the law docs. However, the specialising iu pay questions saves both pay office and individual soldiers' dependants from much mutual worry and misunderstanding. A knowledge of the' work of the Centre is spreading far, and occasionally a letter comes from .the assistance on behalf of the family in some difficulty. Other difficulties—legal, land, financial, casualties—are' constantly referred to the Centre, and after inquiry are sent to the proper quarters. It is, however,, on the social .and friend; ly intercourse side which is the function

of the branches .especially, llial the' Centre defends for its richest results, i'n North Sydney ever sinco war broke out the soldiers' families have boen the special care of. the Society of Pharmacists' Wives (now the North Sydney branch), and many lirm friendships h'avo been cemented in these monthly excursions to tho gardens of the Harbour, as well as the meetings at tho offices o" tho North Sydney Contro. At Waterloo, recently formed, the work is in full swing, arid there are 190 members on its roll, and knitting meetings, dressmaking and cookery classes have been formed for those who like them. At Paddington pay-day parties happen every pay Thursday. iiurwood on Wednesdays, and so on. While each Centre is thus working out its own destiny, with complete control of its own affairs —in. crowded areas-with its own committee, in scattered districts with a local seeretary responsible to the Head Centre. ' The Centre is looking well forward. It has taken Into its own especial care soldiers' widows and their families. It has been instrumental in enabling them to take advantage of the Voluntary Workers' movement for establishing homes. • Homes for seven widows and wives of disabled soldiers are either already built or Hearing completion; two other homes which the husbands before leaving for the front had partly acquired have been completed, and some others aro under consideration. 'In this matter the personal knowledge which the Centre lady had of tho family was a great advantage. - The workers of the Centre are very keen on tho question of preserving the self-dependence of' the women and children, helping them to help themselves. To this ond they have established, .under their auspices, a Small Loans Fund, which has received the approval and active co-operation of well-known business men. Tho scheme is to mako small loans without interest to authenticated and deserving dependants of soldiers who have been killed at tho war, to enablo them to earn or supplement their living, and to capacity they may possess. Tho children of the soldiers are encouraged to open savings bank accounts. The committee tho following:—President, Dr. Mary Booth; hon. secretaries, Miss H. B. Booth and Miss Wallack; hon. treasurer, Miss ißeulah Bolton; committee,- Miss Barclay, Miss Bennie, Mrs. Edwin Geach, and Mrs. Sydney Griffiths.