SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2903, 16 October 1916, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

For Maori Soldiers. The Countess of Liverpool and Mrs. lomares Maori Soldiers' Fund have received the following contributions :— Mws Hutchinson, 1 balaclava; Mrs Scott, Central Otago, 3 balaclavas, 4 pairs isooks; Queen Victoria College, Auckland, 52 pairs socks; Mrs. Scott Wanganui, £o; Mrs. Randall Sherratt Uisborne, £5; Mrs. J. Bowles Petene, 3 pairs socks ;Mrs. Albert Ramsden, Petone Woollen Mills, ]2 pairs socks; Miss James, 2s. 6d.; Mrs. Kirk, Petono £2' Miss Williams, Hukarere fci; Miss Johnson, Opua, £1 • Mrs Chven Monckton, Wnfpukurau, £S) Mrs. R. Cooper, Walroa, 6 novels, 2 pairs socks, 6. handkerchiefs, 2 pairs underpants, 2 singlets, 1 shirt, 2 boxes coal tar soap, 3 packets chocolate, 2 packets cards, 6 .pocketbooks; Mrs. Waitai, Lower Hutt, 10s.; Mrs. Johnson, Gisborne, £1; Mrs. Murowai,, Mutu, 1 pair mittens; Mrs. Mills, 2 pairs mittens; Miss Hutchinson,' 10s.: Mrs.Engdon, 55.; Mrs. B. M. Wilson, 1 pair socks; Mrs. Pomare, £5; Miss Campbell, 1 pair socks. Per Mrs. Love, Petone: Mrs. Andrew, 2 soarves; Mrs. Hyde, 1 pair socks; Mrs. Pickard, 2 pairs socks, 1 balaclava; Mrs. Jackson, 5 packets cigarettes, half a dozen lead pencils, 2 pocketbooks, 6 camphor belts; others, 8 pocketbooks; Miss Love, 1 muffler, 2 pocketbooks; Master Lovo, 3 packets cigarettes', 2 pocketbooks; Mrs; Love, 2 pairs . mittens; Mrs. Sband, 2 pocketbooks; Mrs. Johnson, magazines, 6 packets cigarette tobacco, 3 handkerchiefs; Mrs. Love, 4 cakes, 4 tins sweets; per K.. M'Kcnzie, Natives''of'Whakaki, £12 6s. Bd., 2 parcels woollen comforts; Lees and Co., Lower Hutt, 25 packets cigarettes.

Women's National Reserve. Arrangements in connection with classes have been satisfactorily completed. A number ij>f women and girls who registered have) selected their; own schools of instruction 'ror shorthand, typing, and commercial training; for others, the Registration Committee has arranged with the Technical School to take them on till the end of the year for typing and shorthand. The commer. cial class is taken by Mrs. Boden every Monday evening (in the room kindly lent by Mr. Oolley). A This class is fiili. Also Miss Port's, for shorthand and typing. The. present course of signalImp will be finished! m about a fortnight, when Mr. Sommorville intend? starting another for those anxious to learn. -The rifle practico section holds its practice's' every Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Lieutenant ■ Keane and Sergeaiit-Major, Smith being the instructors. First aid classes are held on Wednesday evenings, Mrs. A\ Waters being the. leader..'All the teachers report that the students are most keen and satisfactory in ewy way: Soldiers' Club In Sydney Street. Appreciation of one's-'labours for the comfort of others is always pleasant to hear, and had any of the ladies who act as hostesses or as members of tho

committee of tho Soldiers' Club in Sydney Street heard the enthusiastic way in which their work for the soldiers at the club was spoken of recently by a soldier from Trentham they could not but have felt that their work was well worth while. "We soldiers," ho said, "talk about what they.do for us among ourselves, and'we feel we cant say half that'wo would like to about the way the ladies look after us, and wait upon us, as though they can't dp too much for us. It's all unassuming, too, no fuss oj/Hustcr, and for tho fellows who are away from their own districts and towns, why, they find friends there straightaway. Wo often speak about it, and we all think that Wellington in this way 6imply stands alone. If it had nothing else to recommend it but the Soldiers' Olub, and what it does for us, it would be well worth while."

A musical evening was given at ' Trenfcham by tho start of the N.Z.M.C. as a farewell to Sisters Phyllis Humphrey and Alice West, formerly of tho Napier Hospital, before they left with the last Reinforcements. A presentation of a case of instruments was made to each Sister by Coluner Andrew, oil behalf of the Medical Corps. Dr. W, J( Anderson and Mrs. Anderson are spending a few days in Christchurch.- ■ ' . ' j With the 6000 parcels which they have dispatched as Christmas presents to tho men at tho front, the Countess of Liverpool Fund Committee in Christchurch has sent for the Canterbury soldiers in France ten cases of balaclavas, scarves and mittens for winter use. In addition to these fourteen cases or parcels have been sent to tho men in Egypt, and 6000 poindings, made in London, have also been sent to France. In order -to supply the men with fruit £200 has been cabled for the men in France, and £o0 for those in Egypt. Various articles have also been sent for the uso of', the men of tho Eighteenth Reinforcements on tho voyage. An appeal made by Captain Richardson for bowls, for the men in Samoa, resulted in twenty-two bowls being- forwarded to the depot, and those have been sent on.

The Noeds In Mesopotamia. At the beginning of last week it letter was received at the Red Crosß Society in Christchurch from Sister Dora, formerly of the Christchurch Hospital. The lette'r was from Mesopotamia, where Sister Dora is now working, and contains an nrgcnt appeal for help in the way of comforts for the sick and wounded men'. To quote her own words, tho letter being ' written fro a Amaru.: — - v ■ "Although the worst heat is over, the hot winds are very bad, glorified Christchurch nor'-westers. Heat of 12odeg. in tho shade iB preferable. It is awful in the tents, where the sheets on the men's beds soon become' like brown blankets, and .when the Jien have been washed in Tigris water, always muddy, the whole resembles a mud pie. Seven new Sisters arrived yesterday, but thore is little chance of relief, 'as nearly all go sick as booil as they romo. Out of the original unit of 26, only four of ns have not had sick leave. Wo have plenty of clothing for the patients, but stores are tho great things—extras, such as jelly powders, biscuits, chocolate. The bread is very bad; biscuits would be most welcome. I had a small box of chocolate biscuits, they cost 3d. a biscuit. We have very few jelly powders, 'and the men love jelly; tinned fruit is also very scarce. Chlorinated water to drink may be very good for you, but it does need limejuico or .something to make it palatable. What would we not give for some liquid fruits or fruit powders! Ido not like asking for things, knowing how much you are all doing, and tho difficulty of transport, but it makes my heart acho to see the walking cases alone. They come off the paddle) boats, drop down anywhere, absolutely done, waiting to be classified and sent to the wards."

A meeting of the Society for the Protection of \Vomen. and children was held last week, Lady Stout presiding. There were present: Mrs. W. A. Evans, M.A., Mrs. J. Kirkcaldie, and Miss i'arlane. Apologies for absence were received from Mcsdames A. It. Atkinson, W. I l '. Ward, A. Hoby, and l'onsonby. A number of cases that had been attended to were reported upon, and others as still being under investigation, including some og alleged neglect of children, The annual meeting of the society will be held on October 31. The following subscriptions were acknowledged with thanks:—Lady Stout, £1 Is.; Air. F. Tregear, £1 Is.: Mr.Herbert J. Williams, £1 Is.; Bristol Piano. Company, £1 Is.; George and Kersley, £1 Is.; Mrs. A. Wall, £1; Mr. William Allan, 10s. 6d.; Mrs.. J. P. Luke, 10s.; Mr. P. Muter, 10s.; Hud-dart-Parker Company, 10s.; Mrs. R. Hannah, 10s.; Mrs. A. Anderson, 10s.; Mrs. S. Downes, 10s.; Mrs. J. 11. Palmer, 10s.; Mr. S. Stidolph, 55.; Mr. G. Mee, 55.; Mrs. W, H. Meld, 55.; Mr. Lamberg, 55.; D. W. Virtue and Co., 55.; Mrs. J. It. Blair"; us.; Dr. G. W. Harty, 7s. 6d.; "Friend," 2s. 6d.; Mrs. It. Parker, 2s. 6d.; Mr. J. W. Henderson, 2s. 6d.

A very enjoyable evening was spent in the Itoturned Soldiers' Club rooms last week, when a party of young men' from Brooklyn gave an entertainment. They opened the evening by a pianoforte solo by Mr. C. Dalton (who, throughout the evening, proved himself an accomplished accompanist), followed by a chorus by "The Brooklyn.'Serenades." Mr. L. Shaddibk, who is an excellent siffleur and impersonator, kept the audience laughing the whole time whilst "doing his turn:" Mr. Buchanan was also very good as "P.C. 49," and Mr. A. Pickett gave a delightful rendering of "The Grey North Sea," and was excellent in "Heroes of the Dardanelles." To-night the party will give an entertainment in Brooklyn, in aid of the Soldiers' Christmas Gift Fund. Mrs. M. M. Wilcher, formerly of the Melbourne Women's Hospital, and later' in charge of St. George's Hospital, Knw, has just Seen appointed a policewoman in Adelaide. Prior to iier appointment Mi's. Wilcher had for some months'hcld the position of In-spi-c tress of Licensed Fostermothors in South Australian State Children's Department.

For Women Police. As the outcome of meetings hold in Wellington on June 26 and Octohor ii, a. definite movement in support of the appointment of women police in New Zealarfd has been started. At those meetings resolutions wero passed that a deputation wait on tho Hon. A. L. Herdman, Minister of Justice. ,The deputation having been appointed/ it will wait on the hon, gentleman at Parliamentary Buildings on Wednesday next, at 11.30 a.m. Christmas Presents. Wollaceville. and: district, in company with bo many others,' have heen doing their "littlo bit" for the Christmas Gift Fund, The Ladies' Patriotic 'Guild sent 60 parcels, consisting of sooks, balaclavas, scarves, mittens, cigarettes, sweets, gun-cleaners, boracic powder, soldiere' writing companions, shaving books, treasureT>ags, literature, and a little sprig of holly for the plum puddings provided by tho Countess of Liverpool's Fund. At the invitation of Mrs. Crawford, the members of thaguild journoyed to thw Town Hall to ?ack the presents ready for addressing, he Bchool. ohildren, too, had written their little letters and enclosod thorn in their, small gifts of handkerchiefs and sweets; ; They have suffered so much in this war, it seemed only fitting that they should have a share in the Christmas gifts, and to them it will be a. day ..long to bo remembered. Everyone was busy packing, and there wero also'hundreds of cases of Christmas presents already picked'. It' brought home very vividly to tho minds ■andjoearts of the country visitors tho awful- realities of war, and it deepened "the impression to see the wounded soldiers' returning. One felt that never couldwe do enough for those wh'o.hava risked" everything for home and l country.- -v. -•■:■■.

Mrs. J. A. Munro, : of Hakowai, Puketsptti and tha Misses Anderson, of Koporangi, left Hastings last week en route for Sydney. •; Miss 1 Winifred 1 Cotter, of Auckland, Was married in Sydney recently to Mr. Ambrose Gaffney, of Hawthorne.