"UILDERS OF HOUSES"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 266, 6 August 1919, Page 4

"UILDERS OF HOUSES"

■ A PKOFESSION -POR WOMEN. -, ,Now'that "housing" is realised as one of the problems of reconstruction, plans for tho iottormont of dwellings nro bemg evolved by many architects, states . a writer In the "Daily. Mail. ■Ono would imagine that domestic architecture would be a career that would offer scope and .possibilities to woinenand .vet, though architecture as .1 profession has been open .to women tor many years past, but few havo availed themselves of it; in-fnet, up to the present only two women-havo actually niialliiwl ■/>« members of the Royal Institute of British Architects-tho Alma Mater nr the profession.. If'is likely, howovor, that in the near future this number will 130 .increased, as, there are sovi-ra. girls now'studying to'toko tho'exnin);>ntions of the institute.. , , The Architects' Association, 1-cdionl Square, nnd tho University loliegcoiwer Street, are two of the recognised schools of architecture.- At the former there are at present 180 full-time nupiis, of whom 20 are women, and-it is itn moro or lees on the "Beaux Arts system, which means that there is little discipline so Ion? as the work is tiony, and therefore it rests with the l'.oivulual student to "make good. . Very special qualifications aro nei-oed by tho would-bo nrchitect. She must, first and'forcniDst, be artistic; she- must havo it certain knowledge ot mathematics and ,of engineering, a business instinct, a logical outlook on -things generally; good reasoning power, and tact and 'imagination! . ■ Tho training includes drawing and construction, the history .of architecture. <lesi»n, general, art training, visits (■> buildings in course of construction and covers several years. There an; tlico examinations to be taken betcre the student can become an Associato of tho. RIB A. and n fully qualified architect; the' preliminary, which is not compulsory, and is in lieu of matriculation, the intermediate, and the !iml. Iw> years should elapse between tl.e intermediate and the final. Tho cost; bTlimii. ing varies, but it can be completely cohered, by the gaining of prizes snci schol"ls'iifrnle the student goes to •"school,", and is articled to an architect at -iie same time, so that she obtains mnetinn ns well as theoretical foundation 111 all the fundamentals of architecture, and then can specialise either in domestic work, gardening, interior decoration, 01 whatever form of architecture appeals to her most, but in any case it will probobly bo six or seven years before MlO can practise herself _ or take a.position as an architect's assistant. , A. girl receives exactly tho same traming as a man, and under similar conditions. She competes with men for prizes and scholarships; she joins 111 their wor)> and their piny. There is no doubt tlini architecture is a profession in which men nnd women should work particularly well together, and it is safe to prophesy- that there will be, in the future, firms of architects in which tho partners will bo men and women. A woman, too, in conjunction with a man could do valuable work' by specialising in the planning of.houses which will bo conducive to labour-saving and not labour-making. _ Women who are interested in welfare and housing should seriously study nrchitccluro in its relation to Mie •domestic side of a national question.

INTERVIEW WITH MRS MASSEY

INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF HER TRAVELS

LIFE IN LONDON AND PARIS

By Telegraph.—Special' Correspondent. Auckland, August 5. ■ Mrs. Massey and Miss Massey were heartily welcomed by many friends on their arrival in Auckland to-day, after a very pleasant voyage ncrose the Pacific. ./ In the course , of conversation with a representative of The Dominion, Mrs. Massey stated that the trip to vLondon was not so pleasant as the return sea voyage to New Zealand. The journey from Panama to London was made in the auxiliary cruiser Ophir, which was not suitable for carrying lady passengers. A baggage room was fitted up for their accommodation, but it was not very comfortable, and the weather was most boisterous. One night Mrs. Massey ivae thrown out of' her stretcher and badly bruised against a rifle rack. After that she was swung in a hammock. The storm broke the crockery, and the passengers had to take their meals off table troughs. The journey took fifteen days, and the party arrived in London just one day after the Peuco Conference had started! They arrived in Plymouth amid eleet and enow, and were astonished by a great din of:horns, syrens, and every other noise imaginable. It was a stirring welcome. Aβ they entered the harbour they had the joy of seeing one of- the surrendered German submarines, with the British Ensign flying over her. Miss Mnssey proved an excellent sailor /and proudly mentioned the fact that on one occasion, when the two galleys were washed out, she was the only passenger up, and partook of a healthy breakfast of bully beef and tea made with salt water, all the fresh water having become brackish during the later part of the journey. The cold was almost unbearable. The officers and crew of the Ophir (lid everything in!their power to make things comfortable, and their kindness was greatly appreciated. Mrs. Massey was much impressed with the manner in which the general aspect of London had changed since her visit two years ago. The streets were thronged with vast crowds of cheerful-looking people. The social life of the citizens seemed to have got back to normal, v and dancins, gaiety and amusement were everywhere visible. In some quarters the dressing was very gay. -This did not ; mean, of course, that the nation had lost its balance, or anything of that sort, f'nr there were plenty of people who showed that they fully realised the cri'ical times in which they were living. Mrs. Massey was favourably impressed <vi(h the way in which the women of England were doing their work in tho new spheres which had been opened to them by the war. They eeemod admirably 6uited for patrol duty and similar occupations, and" this applied especially In the New Zealand women with whom .she came in contact.in oonwciion with

the Y.W.C.A. The f.iou supply wns more abundant than it was oi-. her for-

mer visit, but the cost of living had largely increased. Prices were, alsu very high in Canada, butter being 2s. t'd. a pound, and other necessaries were. pro-

portionately high. Mrs. Massey wonilercd how the poorer people managed to live. , Mrs. Massoy saw something of Royalty at close quarters, and' was 'no=t •favourably impressed. "The Kins and Queen are splendid," she said, "and tho people seemed to adore them. -The most popular man in England to-day is the Prince of Wales." ■ , Mrs. Masscy's visit to Paris was quite unofficial, but none the less wijoynblo on that account. She saw some, oi Jhe battlefields •. and devastated areas and was surprised at the rapidity iuth rl:ich the work of restoration had gone on.; In certain localities the people seemed , cheerful and hopeful. Sho went to Ueims, Soissons, and Eperiuy (the He»dquarters of the New Zealand Cyclist Corps). She also visited Mont liaison, the last home of the Empress Josephine, and was delighted with the beauties of Paris. Almost the only evidence of the war in Paris was the deep mouraing worn by the women, even second cousius of deceased persons wearing long c;vpo veils, such as we are accustomed to see on widows only. Prices were higher in Paris than anywhere else, 'lea was sold at 7s. 6d. and butter at Bs. Hi. when procurable. , Mrs. Massey and party witnessed tho march of the overseas men, and saw the .freedom of the City, of Lonuon conferre.l on the Prince of Waira, and afterwards lunched at the Mansion House The trooping of the nolours m Hydo Park was-an cere-

All went well on the journey hacis to New Zealand till after «)p party left Halifax, when the train which carried them met with disaster, beiiii' derailed at 2 o'clock in the morning. Their derailed carriage was draggi>;l for six hundred yards, and.no oiw know what his fate niight he, but ail behaved splendidly. Though faced with <ictiHi. or perhaps something even wo«e. there was no pr.nic. The escape was r.ikacnlous, Mrs. Massey said. She was dad to he home again. There was no plate like New Zealand for her. She intended in ■future to copy the example of the. Americans and to boost her country as loudly as they did theirs, \ for there was no country in the world bettor than New Zealand.