THE WOMEN OF BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3067, 1 May 1917, Page 3

THE WOMEN OF BRITAIN

THEIR WAR WORK LECTURE BY DR. A. K. NEWMAN' : Yesterday • evening members of the Pioneer Club and friends who had .'gathered together at the club to hear the lecture given by Dr. A. K. Newman, Jl.J.\, on the part that the women in England have been taking in the war, listened to facts that wero very interesting indeed, and which showed the whole-hearted way in which not only the. women but the whole of the British people are facing tho.war; Of the women's part Dr. Newman could not say enough in praise.. They were doing an heroic work, and without their aid the war could not be carried on, becauso there would not be men nor , munitions. Two years before the outbreak of this world-storm General Joffre had one day jn Paris passed the opinion that when • the next war broke out it would be \ '; different to all other wars, because the whole of whatever nations took part in it would be involved instead of two' sections only—the Army and the Navy. How right the forecast was, timo has amply proved. The whole' of people of France, wmen as well as men, had beeu brought into it, and in

Great Britain women had stepped forward and were bearing their share of the war, andiso releasing men in every walk of life for service at the front. Dr. Newman touched- upon the changes that- had taken place in military hospitals since the time of Florence Nightingale, for now, instead of having men to nurse the wounded there were women, and in this way numbers and numbers of men had been released for the firing line. ■ The soldier patients in the hospitals had benefited enormously by the change—they were bettor cared for and better nursed. Women as Army cooks had released further large numbers of men, and short of the actual fighting there seemed no ' work in which they were not engaged. Agricultural work was very hard upon women, Dr. Newman thought. It was not altogether surprising if thoy were keener about other avenues or work, but still they were doing this too, since thero was the-need for their labour. New Zealand women who wero at Home were also taking their share in tho work of tho,-nation, and he enumerated several, when ho had come across while in-. England all engaged in some form of work. Wealthy women were giving up their houses for the benefit of wounded, sick, or convalescent soldiers, and were spending thousands of pounds a month m tho upkeep of their establishments for the in valids. At the railway stations they would be in charge of refreshments for the soldiers, as they passed through on their way to. or from the front, and no matter how tired they might be ot tho work they kept it going. Dr Newman told his hearers that men had just found out how ignorant thev were of women, and what they could do, and he was quito sure that

never beforo had women been held in such respect as now. Whon ho had been in the linos in Franco ho had been talking to an officer who asked him: "Do you think the people qf England will see this through?" Dr. Newman assured him that they would see it right through, the women would see to that. , . Womon would got the franchise, thenwork had entitled thorn to that, and there would bo few to gainsay it. As to tho a s o qualification, Dr. Newman did not think that that would be Held to in tho face of the fact that womon of all ages had been doing their share in iielpiug the nation to win tho war by taking the places of the men so that they could go to thejront. Men who had been opponents all their lives to women's suffrage wero now for it, and much of the' opposition that now existed came from the brewery interests, because they know that the women's vote would make a very great difference to them. Later on in his lecture Dr. Newman again referred to the liquor question. In England the 'sale of liquor had been greatly restricted, and greatly lessoned quantities were being made. Certain areas of Great Britain wero entirely prohibited. As was stated in the morning's paper, America had prohibited the sale of liquor at army_ posts, training camps, or to anyone in uniform under any circumstances whatever. Here in New Zealand we had merely fiddled with the liquor question. While .practically every country was either prohibiting it altogether or else placing great restrictions, ,New Zealand had done practically _ nothing. Certainly there was an anti-shouting law.

Dr./Newman described his visit to the front lines in France, _ and told much that was extremely interesting. The bathing facilities for soldiers were touched upon, and the methods of washing and mending their clothes. This work-was done by Frenchwomen. Dr.' Newman described the collection of buildings that made up tho hospital at Etaples—3s,ooo bed,s, with buildings that wene fitted up with more at the back.

Dr. Newman spoke of the Now Zealand soldiers and how well they looked. They were exceedingly well cared for, and their behaviour was excellent. We had every reason to be proud of them. They were heartily sick of the war, they were longing to be back again in Now Zealand, but they were not going to leave till they had seen it through.. That was the spirit ho encountered everywhere. The work of the New Zealand nurses was also very highly spoken of. Doetorß and surgeons ho had come across had assured him of their great efficiency and capability, and he put it down to the fact that the nurses here had to spend four years before getting their certificates, the training being a severer one, as well as longer, than that of the English. ; . ;, In conclusion, Dr. Newman told his hearers that thero was no sacrifice that the people of Great Britain were not prepared to-make for the sake,of the Bplendid men who had laid down their lives, and for the sake of those who wero fighting, they would seoit right through, no matter how long it would take. England ..was awake, grimly awako now, and tho people hailed Lloyd George as their uncrowned king. Sirs. A. E. Atkinson presided, and at the end of the lecture proposed a •vote'of thanks to Dr. Newman. Sir Robert Stout seconded the motion, and Dr. Young also made a- brief speech, in which he explained tho purpose of tho Nurses' Memorial Fund, to which tho proceeds of the lecture are to be given.

A members' night of tho Scottish Society and Pipe Band of Wellington was held at tho Social Hall of the Scottish Society, and was a decided success. Vocal items by several ladies and gentlemon wero much appreciated. Several comic itonis showed clearly_ thai; Scotsmen are by no means devoid of humour. Mr. Jupp'slnanipulation of the cornet gave unqualified pleasure, nud a pathetic pieco, entitled "Twa Young Scottish Martyrs," was recited by Miss M'Lellan. The juveniles delighted all present by an exhibition of dancing. Mrs. Ballantyne and the ladies' committee provided supper for the artists and visiting friends.

Ladies! See our Special Prices on Dainty Crepc-de-Cheno and Silk Blouses during our Stock-reducing Rale, commencing Wednesday. Price's Store, 54-56 Willis Streot-Advtr.