WOMAN'S WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 148, 12 March 1918, Page 2

WOMAN'S WORLD.

(By Imogen.)

MATTERS OF INTEREST FROM FAR AND NEAR

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

For the Nurses' Memorial Fund.

A fete in aid of tho New Zealand Nurses' Memorial J)'uiul was hold in thrt hospital grounds in Auckland on fiatmday aitcnioon. Miss Hester Maclean, nialroii-in-cliief of the N.Z. Army Nursing Service, performed the opening ceremony, and in doing so, said that tlio. purpose for which tho garden party was being held was worthy of every support. In other centres efforts had already been muds that hud losulted in this nucleus of a fund, and it was hoped that Auckland would do its fair share. Wo.were all very proud, of the magnificent, work donn by the. livo hundred New Zealand sisters in the field, and we could show no better appreciation of their services than by helping towards the establishment of a proposed home. The purpose of tho institution would bo to provide for those nurses, whether military or otherwise, who through aocident or sickness, were unable to obtain tho comforts that we wished them lo have. Matron Maclean mentioned that thirteen of the nurses on active service, bad sacrificed their lives, ten of them having gone down in the. llarquette. The grounds had been veryattraciiHy ret out with decorative effects, and ther» was a good attend-' mice of the public during the afterneon.

Last week the Mayoress and members of the Citizens' Gift Fund packed 2470 Eokliers' gift , parcels at the Town Hall. ' . The Ladies' Auxiliary of the Navy League .announce' that their workroom in the- Technical College has reopened after the Christmas vacation. The work is carried on under Miss Laurenson's supervision, n<l every credit is due to her for her efforts to promote the work to benefit our sailors. Cases of goods are packed by.her in an expert way, and sent abroad for the use of tho men on tho mine-sweepers and trawlers, and for prisoners of war, and all arrive in first-class condition. Mrs. Hall-Thompson would bo very grateful for donations in the way of sneks, balaclavas, etc., or flannel for shirts. The committee has received from Mr. David Milligan a gift of tweed for the Mellor gloves. These gloves arc used by the men on the trawlers and mine-sweopers. A. number of pairs have been sent to our men on the trawlers who arc out mine-sweeping, and they arj much appreciated.

Miss C. Cameron (Masterton) is visiting her sister in Auckland.

Mrs. M'Larcn (Homcbush, Master* ton), Miss. M'Laren, Mrs. Milno, and Miss Macdonald returned to Masterton on Saturday from Lyall Bay. Mrs. F. C. Lewis and the Misses Loivis (2) returned to Ma&terion on Saturday from Wellington. Mr. and Mrs. V. Hoadley liavft returned to Napier from a visit to Wellington. Mrs. and Miss North, of Seatoun, will bt» in charge of the Woodward Street Red Cross Shop on Wednesday. Mrs. .E. A. W. Henley (Napior) is visiting Christchureh In the course of the report presented at the annual meeting of the Victoria League iii Auckland last week it was stated that the Red Cross Committee of the league sent its monthly contribution of £50 to the Auckland branch of the British Red Cross Society, and also forwarded largo quantities of hospital garment's and bandages. In all £1564 6s. 4(1. had been donated to the society during the past twelve months. A donation of £650 had been sent tu the British Red Cross Society in London through the parent league, £200 were donated to the Second Stationary Hospital, and, towards, the end of the year, it was decided to sond £500 to St. Dunstan's Hospital for Blind Soldiers At the Island Bay Red Triangle gals on Saturday, Mrs, C. C Qdlin, wife ol tho president of the Island Bay Sur: and Life-saving Club, with her lad.i helpers, entertained tho Mayor am Mayoress and the officers of kindrec clubs and life-saving societies,,also tin Patriotic Society's band and Feather stoti Trumpet Band, to afternoon tea which was served outside, with a fill J view of the gala ' sports. The wlioli i gathering was a great success, aiu ! should add considerably to the Ke< '. Triangle Fund. J Miss Eileen M. Duggan, Tua Marina Marlborough, has received cable ad vice stating that she obtained her M.A degree witli first-class honours in his tory. Miss Duggan, who was a studenof Victoria College and is now on tin teaching stalf of the Danncvirko Higl School, has also completed her teacher': A certificate, j I On the invitation of Mr. H. M. Hay I ward, president of the New ZealaiK Society of Dorset Men Beyond the Seas I a party of Dorsets left Wellington oi ! Saturday afternoon by motor fa : "Ruta," White's Line, Lower Hutt. Oi ■ reaching Lower Hutt other member; : joined in. On arriving at "Rata" Mr ! and Mrs. .IT. M. Ha.rward welebrace : them, and after showing Uie party ove: '; the grounds a group photograph to taken on the lawn. The company tliei ! adjourned to the house, where, in tin spacious (lining-room, refreshments wen ■ partaken of. Mr. John Hiscock (oni - of the vice-presidents), on behalf o the party, thanked the president am Mrs. Hayward for their kindness. Tin society, ho said, had been in existenei for seven years, and this was their fii'ft •daylight gathering. He hoped that ii I the future other such meetings wouk be held. Thfi president suitably re I plied. Three hearty cheers were- givct I for Mr., Mrs., and Miss Hayward, am j the party left for the city, having speiil a most enjoyable timp. i

Statue of Nurse Cavell. An excellent statue of the late Nurse C.ivell has just been completed by Capitiin W. 11. J'Vldoii, the well-known New Zraland sculptor, who lias just completed throe and a half .years' fctafl' bervicn with the forces, states the Auckland ''Herald." The statue is to bo, placed over tlio run in doorway of ■the new .Children's Hospital. • The. figure, which is life-size, displays tho martyred nurse in her Red Gross -uniform. Standing oft. lOin. in height, it. has lieen chiselled out of a block of finely-grained Mount Soniers stone. Tin l attitude of the. figure is a. dignified one. and Hin position of the. hands, which arc lightly crossed in front of tho body, is Graceful. Captain Feldon is now working on two figures—a soldier and a sailor with reversed arms— -tvhkh are to ho placed on either side of the statue of Xurse Carell.

Tha Spinnery. Within the pact fortnight the,Spinnery has moved into new quarters, »Bd Is now established in the building occupied by the firm of Messrs. Menteath and Ward, Ballance Street. Three rooni6 have been secured, an office where all possible information may be obtained and now members of the Spinnery enrolled, a. workroom, and a kitchenette, a very necessary adjunct in those days of sustained women's fnbonr. Several* spinning wheels are now in i;so at the rooms, and to see members engaged in this most charming and picturesque of occupations is a. very interesting and also very satisfying sight. Since the Spinnery started several months ago it has made excellent headway, and a considerable supply of warm comforts for sailors have been made by members from tho -nmol which they have, themselves spun. At the present time, members are taking it in turn for one of their number to be in charge of the office, each day, so that all information may ho supplied to anyone wishing to obtain information concerning the activities of the organisation or wishful to enrol as a member. Yesterday Mrs. Coleridge was in charge;

! UNPROTECTED BABIES

= WOMEN'S BIG SALARIES. |

PROSPEROUS THEATRICAL YEAH. The theatrical season for 1917 came to an end with the production of a new light comedy from the French; it began with the revival of an old farce (states the "Daily Mail"). It was a year of prosperity, tempered by the excess war profits that had to be paid to the Chancellor and by an increased amusement tax imposed since October 1. The military element home in London and visitors demanded light entertainments, and they got. them; musical plays and revues nourished, and the feminine element on the stage was predominant. Women drew the big salaries in 1917. Almost their only rivals were the comedians who can gain laughter. Most of the first-night programmes stated that "the male members of this company have either served with tho colours or are ineligible ' for military service." Some of them expressed the same thing in other words, but the result was -the same. The war has now put an end to the reign of tho matinee idol. Tho hold of the theatre- on the public is greater than ever. Increased rents | have not deterred men from producing plays, neither have tho inflated salaries nor the increased tax and tho excess | war jirofits (when there were any). Re- ! duccd lighting, air raids, scarcity of ' cabs and omnibuses, have not Ifept the J public away. Playgoing is now the naI fcional amusement. In fact, there is no ! other, except it bo the kinematograph J shows. | . —

a gj Dr. F. J. Waldo, the City Coroner, m has been etnick b.v tho number of in--2 quests which lie lias held recently upon ™ Iho bodies of young children put out S to nurse, whose fathers arc in tho S Army and whose mothers go to work. ES The 'establishment of creclios has long S been advocated/ by Dr. AViildo, and he SI now desires to secure official support 63 for a rider to tho verdict found by a a Southwark jury in the case of a baby ra the child of a munition worker whose S husband is a soldier, which was suffoH cated in the bed of an unregistered 3 foster mother. S I ' The jury suggested that the Minisffl I try of Munitions and Board of Educai tion should ho asked to co-operate with f3 and assist tho health authorities "in 0 the establishment,' forthwith, of an a adequate supply of day nurseries and m creches in tho'vicinity of munition and a other war factories for the care, of g babi»s and young children, to be kept m l>y day as well as by night under the can- of tr.iinqd nurse.'! .-it a fixed S' eharue."—London "Daily News."

Women Chemists, Discussing the openings for women chemists in New South Wales, the "Sunday Time!;" says:— The work of a chemist is .well suited to women, but unless a girl can afford to go through the University courso and take her chance of an appointment when througly,; she has a ninetieth chance in a hundred of attaining her ambition.

Two yqars ago a girl leaving school desired to be a chemist. She could not go to the. University for financial reasons, and endeavoured to get apprenticed to a working chemist, with the object of attending the special course for chemists at the University., Her educational attainments were more than sufficient to permit of her name being entered in the books of the Pharmaceutical Society, the registration of which gave her a list of chemiists who would take girl apprentices. They numbered about six. Each was ■approached, but had to refuse as there were such a number of applicants on their books that if the last recorded waits her turn she will be a grey-hair-ed woman before her apprenticeship begins. The best the would-be chemist could attain was to have her name for a chance, some time. Meanwhile, she took a three months' course of business study, and has been earning a good living in the Government service for well over 18 months, but never a sign has come from the chemists who take girl apprentices.

In Victoria it is an easier matter for girls to become dispensing chemists, and in country towns the chemist's shop is frequently the prosperous business venture of a qualified young woman. The very necessary dispensing chemist is, after all, the least important exponent of .chemistry. We fail lamentably in our research work, and until recently what had been attained had been purely through the disinterested efforts of the researchers them-

selves. .■ . . Germany got her great place in the trade of the world through her chemists. If tho Huns, did not know how to treat their enern-' ies they knew how to treat their ciiemista. The chemists of Germany were given every facility for study and research. Chemistry was, and no doubt, still is, an honoured profession. The year that war broke out there were as many chemists on research work in ono firm of dye works in Germany as there were iu the whole of England. Germany took twenty years to find ou'i tho secret of aniline dyes, and spent 20 millions of pounds, and employed an army of chemists. The W.A.A.C. ' Here is au interesting excerpt from tho orders of the day on the arrival of some hundreds of women into a vast camp, which was the most homely and perfect of- its kind I was allowed to see in France (says a writer to an exchange). It tolls more of the spirit of the officers and men (wiio hardly needed its fatherly admonitions) than I could easily describe:— "The Officer Commanding Base Depot wishes to draw the attention of all ranks to the following points in connection with the domestic section of the Women's Auxiliary Army, which is employed in this depot: 'These women have not'come out for tho sake of money, as their pay is that of a private soldier. In nearly everj case they have lost someone dear to them in this war, and they are out .here to try and do their best to make things more comfortable for tlio men in regard to their food. It is, therefore, up to all ranks to make their lot an easy and not a hard one during their stay in France. If any man should so forgot himself as to use bad language or at any time to be rude to them, it is up to any of his comrades standing by to slmt him up_ and 6es that he does not repeat this offence. To the older men I would say: Treat them as you would j'our own daughters. To the younger men: Treat them as you would your own sisters.' "Commanding Base Depot." The men nail them "the waccs" (pronounced wnclO. -'iid the women Save accepted the title.