WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 November 1932, Page 8

WOMEN'S INTERESTS

Jiihts from Mbme and Mlroad.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

THEIR FITNESS AS LEADERS.

Comments on. women as lea'ders in the world oJ “big business” have come from many sources, lately, including speakers at the, oi university women and. commercial education. > Some of the . things -said were: The .Duchess of Athol, M.R.'j “Consular posts should be open to women, but it would be difficult :to find many women who could discharge such du-ties-.-with; success.’.!’ Miss Ruth Tomlinson, secretary of the National Institution , of the Door and Shoe Trade: “Only three per cent of; business women are fitted now fto. exercise the highest administrative control. Woman has only emerged during the past ICO years, and it is absurd to think that she could catch up with man in that short time. .

“Women dd not attach; enough * m * povtanee ~.*o physical, -fitness. As adi ministrators they must have better. mea.s and mote outdoor recreation in order to be able to ‘stay the course.’. It ii s not the work in business that' gives women difficulty, but the feeling pfi opposition, because they are not men?’ "v . '

l)r Agnes Rogers, an Amreican: •‘“The university woman has a better chance of keeping her job now, in this' crisis, than the uneducated woman. On the other hand, the modern schoolgirl! is reluctant to go to the university because she feels that once a woman is labelled intellectual she will not have the snipe chance to marry?’ j n England there are reported to be , 800 women company directors, 70 copipany secretaries, '6O qualified acand 250 qualified engineers —electrical, civil, and marine.

HAREMS VANISHED

OUT-OF-DATE CUSTOM IN EGYPT

When Sadek Pasha Yoimes,' Undersecretary to the Ministry of the Interior in the Egyptian Government came to London he was surprised to find how ignorant some Englishwomen are.. . . ■ . \ •v. ; “There is still , a belief in England,”; he ; said, “that we Egyptians have' harems full ■ of wives,; numbering, anyth jug between 20 and 100. English people are incredulous when I say that I know of only two or three men; ii Egypt who have more than one. “Our Koran sanctions fpur wives, but it says that. a man may marry four wives providing he cau--.be- fairto . all of them. And, as no. • man. can be fair to four, women,, the custom litis almost entirely disappeared.

f'The man who has two wives in Egypt is usually far . more c miserable, than the man who has one, for two wives, with their petty jealousies "and squabbling, make his‘ life unbearable.?’ The Egyption diplomat' said that anyone walking down a. street in Cairo to-day would see women dressed as smartly as Frenchwomen, with the “frank, graceful carriage of Englishwomen.” Although no laws' had-been passed in Egypt forbidding the wearing of veils; he said, -the Egyptian, girls dropped them about four years ago.

LONDON RHEUMATISM.

“FUSSINESS” AND CHILDREN.

•• The London damp is not to blame for London's rheumatism. In the annual report of the school medijal officer it is stated that mothers who “fuss” over their children, over-’ clothe them, and lack discipline, are for the (prevalence of .heart trouble and rheumatism among London children.

There is only one slum area, according to the report, and that is by the liter. Children there do not )have rheumatism. Hammersmith is the district where the poorest health prevails.

,f‘Jn many schools,” the summary said, “ it has been found that children suffering' Jrom rheumatism are of a much better type than • the others. Since there is sufficient money to clothe the children fairly well, they are given too many clothes —and the houses of Hhfese families are overheated and badly ventilated. Ihe poorest live in a much colder atmosphere.” A lack of discipline at home was declared to be. one of the most important factors causing physical defectiveness among children. Bad feeding exists rather than starvation in the over-crowded quarters —meaning too much starch and „g)vee+is and not .enough fruit and vegetables.

POLKA DOTS

Vieing in popularity with the zebra stripes so fashionable the e e days if the popular polka dot. White dotted navy crepe supplies ''the spring ensemble for Joan Blondell, the film star. ■ The We jacket is unbelted and jins neither collar nor cuffs. The separate scarf and wide Spanish girdle of bright red lend a dash of colour to the ensemble. When Joan removes. the l jacket she slioavs a white blouse, Avhieh is also sleeveless and U”d i.s interesting far its sunburnt tucking'about the neckline and the large white buttons which art put on with a narreAV lace cf red «ilk.

NO REAL BLONDES,

There are no-blondes-in Britain. No real blondes who have had flaxen cu; Is from the time they were little girls. A sparch is being made for 20 genuine blondes—it does not matter if they are ash blondes, straw blondes, golden or -sandy—to represent England in an international hairdressing competition to be held in London this month. .... But experts after scrutinising - hundreds of heads, • have only found three. Of: the others, their hair was not true blonde from root to tip, or else it had been marred by inexpert treatments On the other hand, there are many blondes coining from Gerrru ny, France, Hungary, Italy, and Scandinavia.

A LIFE OF INTEREST.

NEW ZEALAND LADY IN IRELAND

2 Tall, breezy, and most attractive in manner, Mrs-Lofttfs Tottenham, better known as Gladys Nation, of Hawke’B Bay, has returned to New Zealand After many* years ;in England and Europe. - Stie was: wearing a chic warm brown suit and,.beret with:.tiny rose veil when she told :an- interviewer some bf her experiences since leav- ; ing New Zealand-during' the war. i“I have had i a most adventurous life while away,!:’ r she; Said. “For ainumber ot year s during; the war my> husband was British Commandant in Home; > and we met extremely- interesting people, and led a thoroughly Italian existence. I lovedi ltalj r .■,

“During the-,(Sinn Fein trouble in Ireland iny husband was 'sent' there. 1 was not allowed :to go-'to' Ireland unfortunately, as times were so bad, ana eventually just when 1 had made up my. mind to go there .I : received a telegram to say my husband had been blown up in a,‘castle in Dublin and was seriously hurt. V r'V;? 1 ‘jThere is a story connected with thisadventure,” she' continued* “a story , General God .eye always' teds against me;. ! General Godley was a .personal friehd- of the family, and 1 rang Kim as isoon as I had this awful news about my husband, and almost demanded to. be taken to Ireland in a destroyer, as it se eme d to me to be the quickest thing I could g’eiV' He ; laughed very much, and suggested something more possible, which was duly arranged, and I arrived i in,; Dublin to find my husband iu .hospital; and bandaged all over, or so it. seemed'tn iiiei ■

I stayed 'there with him for a long time., I 'follor ed by gangs of Sinn Feiper s.‘ wheiiever,. I went; for a vvalk, Avlxich was dfecidedly unpleasant. Olice 1 remember 'sitting in a train next to a man,; and' happening to look down 1 saw aipiritol poking out of hi® pocket, in my 'direction, ft was most uncomfortable. C- /.A ■

.; , hfisbaM’s conipensation case came on while we were ’.there,' We did: not get much money, although lie was very badly hurt. The judges of these, courts had 'a most awful time; they were always being Avaylaid and 'brutally attacked. ‘ ‘ : “That reminds t me,” continued ' Mrs Tottenham,' “ of the story of the juage who Avas being Avaited for on* a lonely road by a large gang avlio were out to kill him. < They Avaited and waited, but no.'judge l appeared. At last tlie leader said: “Oh, I Avonder what can have happened to the poor old judge.’ ” Mrs t Tottenham then talked of her work in London. For some time she was in the fashion houses of Alexander and of Deborah, tAvo very exclusive West End establishments who bought models from Paris during the season. * “This was interesting work, but hard wofk, too,” Mrs Tottenham said, “for as ' the' bad. times came gradually less money; was'circulated and feAver clients’ felt like • spending, 90 guineas on a model frock.”

.. “Ninety guineas on a frock!” wasf the startled exclamation of the interviewer. " 1 ■ ’ ‘

“Oh, 1 yes,” she laughed. “Some models are even more expensive than

■ “Then; again,” she continued, - ' “you get the clever designer who can copy a model. That is done all the-time, aud lots of people only buy .the copies., It is'a very complicated existence I can assure you—full of interest.” Mrs Tottenham proposes to visit Hawke’s . Bay very soon, where some of her kindred live. She expects to be there for’ some nib fit hs.