SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3044, 3 April 1917, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

An Appeal for Sooks and Balaolavas. A meeting of tho Countess of Liverpool Fund Committee was held yesterday morning in tho Mayoress's room, of the. Town Hall. . Mrs. J. P. Luke (Mayoress) presided, and there were present: Mrs. Crawford (honorary secretary), Mrs. M. Myers (joint honorary- secretary), Mrs. J. Finlay (hou. treasurer), Mrs. Stott, Mrs. Crump, Mrs. Ashen, Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Tripp, Mrs. Barjtrop, Mrs. Townsend, Mrs. W. Nathan. Aftor tho routino business of the meeting had been dealt with the subject was brought up of making' an appeal for balaclavas and socks. There is at the present time a scarcity of both at tho Town Hall, and further supplies aro badly needed. Tho_ committee would be very glad to receivo contributions of both of these articles. Tho secretary stated that in response to the appeals which had been sent to country districts to assist with tho gift parcels, sympathetic replies had been received in a largo number of cases, and promises to assist in all possible ways. Young Helpers' League, . On Friday last, tho members of the Northland habitation of tho above league .wero given an afternoon party by, their popular president, Mrs. A. J. Paterson. Mrs. Fountain, of Harbour View Road, very kindly allowed the use of her residence for tho occasion, and, assisted, by a number of other ladies, did everything possible to give tho young folks an enjoyable time. At tho request of the president, the vice-president (Mr. Poison, headmaster of the local school) made a few remarks on the aims and objects of the league, and announced that the amount collected by the children in their boxes was £6 Is. 3id. for tho year. The sum would have been larger only that,, owing to a disastrous fire, a number -of boxes with their contents were unfortunately destroyed. Miss MacKcllar (hon. secretary of the league), Miss Stono (assistant-secre-tary), and the other members of the Northland School staff contributed in | various ways to tho success of the | funotion, which concluded with iTve singing of the National Antliom and oheers for tho president and others who had assisted. " Children's Bazaar. At Island Bay on. Saturday a very successful children's bazaar was hold, tho, small organisers being Marjory, and Dorothy Steele, Ray Pitcher, Jim Steele, and Len Wells. Sportß were i hold, and tho sum of £3 10s. >vas rais- | ed, to bo divided between St. John Am-1 : bulance Brigade, Star Boating Shed, j and Dr. Barnardo's Homes. Red Cross Gifts. Tho bon., seoretary of the women's coinmitteo of the British Red Cross (Wellington branch) 'acknowledges receipt of contributions and gifts from the following: Mrs. Mills, Waipukurau Centre British Red Cross, case of : goods; Hastings Red Cross Workers, 1 caso of goods; Mrs. Ballinger; Mrs. !T. Holmes.; Ohau Red Cross Workers, case bandagos and swabs ; Levin District Patriotio Society, case garments and bandages; Red Cross Society, St. John. Ambulance Association, Hawera, 2 cases and parcel garments and old' linen; Wanganui Sub-Centre British Red Cross, 1 case; Mrs. Dumbell's Guild; Khandallah, Mrs. Merewether; County of Egmont Patriotio League Women's Guild; Mrs. Mudie, Waikanae; Waikanae Girls' Club. During tho past month 114 cases, containing swabs, bandages, .operation cloths, tray cloths, jug and basin covers, Roslyn slings, limb pillows, surgical vests, sheets, towels, pillow-cases, • hospital shirts, draw sheets, sockß, cholera belts, slippers, treasure bags, facecloths, flannel waistcoats, cushions, handkerchiefs, bed jackets, dressing gowns, etc., etc., were sent away to tho depot in ■ England, and also to the military hospitals in New Zealand. Managing an Estato. Mr. G. H.'Raw, presiding on January 23 at the annual meeting in London of the British East Africa 'Corporation, Ltd.,- said that the manager being in khaki, 1 one estate had been managed by his *wife,-Mrs. Layzell, who sent them a'moßt lucid'and busi- 1 ness-liko report, and who manages largo gangs of-natives, mostly savages. Mrs. Layzell is a daughter of Mr." R. L. Capell, of Northampton, and is twentj'-s'ix years of age. : .' Before going, out to the estate at Voi, in British East Africa, in 1914, to bo married, she was at college in Cambridge. Her husband, Captain S. C. Layzell, is a son of Mr. Layzell, of Hendon, who is associated .with the firm of Messrs. Cook, Son. and Co., St. Paul's Churchyard. Tho natives employed on tho estate number from .100 to 200, according to tlio season, and are engaged in the .production of fibre. Until recently thero were no A other white women anywhere near. .''She-is a marvellous woman in business and at manag- -' ing natives," said Mr! Raw. "I suppose she picked it up from her husband. She is ovidently a woman who takes a great interest in what is going ■ on around her." '

The centle German,

It: was a characteristic German touch that when the order was issued for tho young Belgians to assemble at the railroad station for deportation to Germany they wero notified to bring with them any portable musical instruments on which they played. Just so 1 tlio American slave-drivers when they, sent their negroes down tho river saw to it that they went with a baiijo on 'tho knee. We may assume that the Belgians at forced labour, by the' Elbe or the Rhine will find tho 137 th Psalm their favourite chapter: "For tliero they that carried us away, captive, required of us a song, and- they that wasted'us required of us mirth, "saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How shall we sing the Lord's:"sdriglln a strange land?" * No Time for Caietles. It is a significant fact that tho .most difficult thing . t0... find '.in ' the sales ' to-day . is . an "evening dress (says a London correspondent). Tho loneliest departments aro those which wero formerly crowded by bargain-hunters,. eager for :evenihg finery, and one. may find- in houses famous for, these goods . that, neither customer nor saleswoman is to be seen m the lighted rooms., whoro melancholy littlo delicately-tinted dresses hang at intervals in tho once overflowing- glass cases waiting in vain, for girls who want to buy them. Some of tho.shops have , a mere score or . so of modish evening dresses, and offer almost hopelessly bargains of the tight-skirted era, and some depond entirely on their prohistoric goods. One buyer in a good house declared that ho had not so muoh as looked at. a ready-mado' evening dress since the war began;. .

The Small Boy's Petition, -Tho wife of an officer, now in the fighting line, has taught her little boy of three to sing beforo. he sleeps at night the National Anthem. Ho adds this hymn of his own, in the samo metro: — ■

"God bless my father dear, And bring him safely here After his soldiering!. To give my mother joy, And cheer his little boy, • And sing the old Envoi, "God save the King."

Mrs. Andrews (of Borneo) is , staying with her.parents,, -Mr. and Mrs.. G. B-. Dall, Kelburn. Miss Tolmie,, accompanied by Miss Menlove (Diinedin), . passed . through Wellington at the end of last week on her return to Nelson from, a visit to tho south.. ■ ■

. Tho Wellington Hospital and Charitable. Aid Board has forwarded to Miss S. J. Hetherington, who, is leaving tho Wellington Hospital staff , to undertake military duties in England, a lot-, ter of appreciation for the services sho has rendered during ' her connection with tho hospital. Misß Hetherington has been on the staff for a period of seven years, over five years of which sho was assistant-matron, and . for "six months acting-matron. '

Mrs. Maurice Harding (Manawatu) accompanied by her brother, Mr. Douglas Guy and Miss Speedy, of Dannevirke, havo loft for Honolulu.

Mrs. West, Bolton Street, and' Miss Elaine West, - are visiting Mrs. Wall, of Kairariga, and later tr.ey leave for Rotorua. ;

A rather curious coincidienco resulted as a sequel to the entertainment by Mi\ and Mrs. J. S. Garratt, at their home in Grey Lynn, of a number of the bluejackets off H.M.S. New, Zealand, when the Dreadnought visited Aucklandseveral, years ago, states tho Auckland "Star." Among the men wa-s a man-o'-walrsman named A. Blackmore, and somo months later Mrs. Garratt received from him a memento, in the shape of a cushion which he had made onboard the warship while'she,was with the Grand Fleet in the North Sea, waiting for tho German Meet to".''come out. The donor suggested that the cushion bo. given to some institution for sale on behalf of the soldiers, and Mrs.' Garratt handed l it on to Mrs. Smith as received for the St. John Ambulance Association. It was sold for £10 at tho Mataxnata Show, and the the coincidence lies in tho fact that the purchaser 'was Mr. Albert Blackmore, 'of Matamata, a namesake of the man who mado tlio cushion. Curiously enough, too, the autograph of the sailor that appears on a photograph sent with the cushion is almost,a facsimile of Mr. Blackmaro's signature.

A cricket team representing the.Q.M. Stores at the Featherston Camp visited Masterton on Saturday, and were defeated by the Mastertftn Club. The Ecoros were: - Q.M. Stores, 97; Masterton, 141 for seven wickets.

On January 7, tli'e Serbian Christmas Day,. every man in the. Serbian Army received a packet of cigarettes as a gift from tho British who have .worked in Serbia.

.VARIOUS RESOLUTIONS. A,meeting of the Wellington Women' ■Teachers' Association; was held in the Jlducation Buildings yesterday evening. .iMiss Myers/(president) presided. . .The business" of the meeting" was to discuss several, resolutions. The first of these was'to the following effect :— "That any certificated woman teacher actively engaged in th'o. public schools, secondary and technical; of' the education district,, and who pays an annual . subscription; of half-a-crown' to ; the ■treasurer, should be deemed to he 's ;. inember of the association." '.' In } proposing '• this-, resolution, .Miss 'A. Bright;'pointed out;;that there was a great need of continuity in tho educhildren in tho puMic schools, and : ono, way in which this might bo . furthered .was .. by . means of . associa- . tions in which~~the teachers of vairious districts met together; and were • able to discuss the work. ■■ The Minister ol Education., had, in recent .coiTeßpondence, expressed.;himself as being somewhat, in faVour of teachers coming to-, ;-gether in this way, and the N.Z.E.I. had amended its constitution *in this respect,'as the Education Act of 1914 allowed this to bo done. Miss/Myers'-pointed;' out that' the

constitution of the Wellington Women Teachers' Association applied , only to 7 teachers of primary schools, but teachers in'secondary' and technical- schools wore, able to form thoir _own associations, if they wished. " The resolution,was passed, and was left in the hands of the executive to deal- with. '• A ,discussion hearing upon the reso- . proposed by. (the Wellington 'Assistant Headmasters'• Association m / regard, to school sports'followed, ; -Mr. lA"". N. Biinis and Sir. Kean attending for the purpose of interpreting these and also to ask the co-opera-

tion of the Women Teachers' Association when the time came to place their proposals before*the proper authorities. These resolutions, as read to the meeting, were to;;'the following effect: — "(1) That' recognising the value of organised school games,_ we are of tjio opinion, that in addition to ono hour allotted to formal, exorcises, at least ono .Hour per week . of school time should Jj6 dovoted to such games. ; (2) That all pupils, should participate in games. (3) That in view of the above tho whole subject of inter-scjiool competitions should be Vreorganised. (4) That it is'the duty of every _teachor to participato in tho organisation and management of'school games. (5) That the necessary materials .should be provided by the Department." Mr. Burns explained the position and hoped that the association- would see its way to support the. movement. They greatly hoped to bring about a better state of affairs. Questions of time and space occupied; the' attention of the meeting and in regard to the. latter it was pointed! out that.', the different reservoß that belonged .to the City could be utilised for the games. These reserves were undoubtedly for. the people, and the I children also had their just claim upon | them, at least for stated times., Somo | of the i schools. wore fairly adjacent to soma of the parks, and while tho playgrounds could accommodate a good many of tho children when engaged in organised games or competitions; other I ground was at times needed. Tho re- ! organisation' of inter-school competitions' was outlined by Mr. Kean, who' also stated; that he thought requests should be sent 1 in to the Department for whatever material; for games was needed. .. ' "'.Mr. Burns pointed out that in some schools ithe-capitation that was 'given for swimming classes .was enough.; to keep all the other classes supplied with what .was- needed in the . way of ma? terial , for' football, cricket, etc., and what they now proposed to ask for wpuld : merely be placing capitation ujxm a sound basis. , ; ,Li discussing the question as to How the hour of school-time for. games' should he fitted Kean suggested that if one ho.ur a week, say the last hour oil Fridays, could not be

qiveu up to games, then it might bo possible to givo a quarter of an hour of school timo four days a week. All .this .would; bo in addition to the hour for formal exorcises. After tho departing. of Mr. Kean and Mr. Burns tho discussion was continued.. O.no of the mouthers thought it tooklthe teachers all their timo to teach tho three "It's," and thon tlicy wero not always successful, and another thought that tho children would bo far moro benofitcd if- thoy wero 'given more time 'for 'sports and nono for domestic science. The motion was finally carried that tho Wonion Teachers' Association join tho Assistant Headmasters'- Association in placing'tho matter of school games reorganisation before tho headmusters. The proposal that the association be affiliated with tho Wellington branch of the 'Women's National Council was deferred for another meeting. _ .