SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 148, 18 March 1919, Page 2

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL

Mrs. C. AYaddy (Scddon) lias been visiting relations iu Masterton, and is at Lite present time spending ii tew days in Wellington before louring for Marlborough.

Mrs. Baird (Masterton) is the ynest of Mrs. Hayward (Lower Hutt).

Mrs. P. Gordon (Mnstcrton) is visiting Eotorwi.

Mm. Howard Booth (Cartelton) is visit ing Wellington.

Nurse 1. Mackenzie returned to Mnstcrton last week from a visit to Polorua. Mrs. AY'. Perry (Penrose, Masterton) is spending a rew (lava in AVeiliiigioii.^

Mr. and Mrs. AV. L. Carey, 1 formerly of Uawcra, have taken a house in Kelburn.

Mrs. Milric (Masterton) is visiting Itolorua.

Mrs. Avery (Napier) is visiting Mrs Tylee (Masterton).

. Mrs. Elliot Barton (Hawera) is tlio guest of Lady Stout.

Mrs. Hayward returned to tile Lower Hutt yesterday - from a visit to the Afairarapa.

Mrs. Hornabrook (Greytown) and her little daughter are visiting Wellington.

After three weeks' serious illness. Mrs. Sarah Beck, the first police matron appointed in New Zealand, died on Sunday morning. During her long service of 23 years at the Central Police Station, Mi's. Beck discharged hen- duties with great ability, and. yet with unfailing kindness to the prisoners who came under her control. Mrs. Beck retired on superannuation in June last, and went to live with her a'aughter (Mrs. B, G. Collins), in Crawford' lioail, Kilbiruie. Tor some time, past Mrs. Beck has been ailing, and about three" weeks ago it became necessary to remove her from her daughter's residence for hospital, treatment. The body is to be conveyed to llokitika ,for burial.'

Miss Irene Brown, who is reporled ashaving died from' influenza in Paris, eamo lo New Zealand with .Mr. 11. B. Irving,-'playing-the Player Queen in "Hamlet'' and Julie in "The Lyons Mail." She afterwards returned to this coiinlry 115 leading lady with Air. Julius Knight, playing in ('Milestones," "Bella Donna," and "Man and Superman/.'

A meeting of. (lie Mothers' Help Division of the. Women's National .Itecrva is to be held in the Accountants' Chambers, Johnston Street,' on Friday afternoon at "3 o'clock. Mrs. A. Gray will speak, and anions the business matters to bo dealt with will be the election of a committee and officers. It is hoped there will be n good attendance of all interested-in the aims of the Mothers' Division. \ Wellington Nursing Division. A meeting of the /Wellington Nursing Division. St. John Ambulaiice Association, was held lust evening in St. John's Schoolroom. Mrs. Moorhouse presided, and in*the course of a brief address General Henderson gave nil outline of the inception of the society and of its aims ami objects. It was the oldest benevolent institution in the "world, he told his hearers, and it was an ancient and illustrious order of knighthood. The difference between the work it was doing a year ago and now was touched upon, for it had passed 'from, a state of war to that of peace, deferring to some of the war work achieved by the society. General Henderson .said that it.had had a membership of over 22,000 on active service, and iii New Zealand a large number of members of the St.' .Tolin Ambulanco Brigade had joined the Expeditionary Force, many being attached to tho Medical Corps in some form or another. They had done extremely good work too. Tho various activities that, had been undertaken by tho women of tho organisation were warmly commended, and a special word of praise was given to their services at the. time of the influenza outbreak. Peace as well as 'war gave scope for the work of the' society, stated tho speaker. Accidents, sudden ".illness,- etc., all gave opportunity for the. work of members, and it wns always well to be prepared for emergences.'- Reference was inado to the eightpointed star of tho order. This, the audience was told, was instituted in the twelfth century, lis colour, white, besnoke a .Christian ord'v. and represented the beatitudes. In later.years, however, it had been given a- more secular significance, and iff eight points now represented the following qiinlitips: —Observation, tact, resource, dexterity, oxplicitness, discrimination, perseverence, and humanity. Following Ccmeral (Tender-; son's address came a demonstration of bandagim; by members of the division, in regard to which General Henderson expressed much satisfaction, particularly as regarded shape, security, and neatness. . Miss Tlobiesnn thanked General JTenderson for his attendance thai evening, and for his very interesting address.

Dorothy Brunton's Order. Miss Dorothy .Uriiiiion lias made her flat in London ii place where many good Australians utecl- to liilk of the Imid of sunshine and in enjoy the dainty hospitality dispensed by Hiss Dorothy and her charming mother. Gunner Koberl Pollock, writing to <i friend in Wellington, said that he had called on Hiss Brim ton at Ucv.cosv flat. Me found that it was called "The Digger*' Retreat," and over the door was the legend. "Abandon rank all ye 1 who enter here!" At the latest Miss Brnnlon was scoring heavily in a musical comedy entitled "Soldier Boy." • Tho March of Women, The report of the Machinery of Government Committee iihicn deals with such mailers us the composition and duties/ of Cabinets in time of war and peace, and tho proper distribution of executive power iiinoiig various Government Departments, finds, a place for a strong recommendation that women shall be eligible, lor Class I ■xamiiiationsiii the Civil Service, states "The Queen." The Commission which reported in l'Jll did_ not go as far as this, restricting its recommendations to the posts lillcd without special examination, such as positions in museums, and other posts in the education, health, and employment services. During Ihe war a large number of women have been employed as temporary clerics doing duties of the Class I standard, and have performed their duties satisfactorily. JI. is apparently the record of these emergency workers which prompts the committee's conviction: "Th".t the absence of any substantial recnuive to tho services of women in the administrative stall's of Departments, and slid more in their intelligence branches, lias in the past deprived tho public services of a vast store of knowledge, experience, and fresh ideas, sumo of which would, for particular purposes, have been fa" more'vuluable and relevant than thuso of even the ablest of the men of the Civil Service." This is a high .claim,, bill it will not be disputed by those who know of the important work entrusted to university-trained women in the Military Intelligence.branches, the National Physical Laboratory, and tho Doparlmonts for medical research. At first, only a few picked women were employed, hut by I lie end of' (he war a very large proportion of the women graduates of both the old and the modern uninrcitics hud entered. Covcrnnient service of the kind, and had mure than justified their selection. 11 is a far cry from the Civil Service Commission of Inst conturv which debated at length the competent;:: of women clerks to translate into tho third person n letter dictated in tho first, and were divided as to whether tho tnsk would be too exacting for a young woman of good education.