NOTES FOR WOMEN

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10279, 14 May 1919, Page 9

NOTES FOR WOMEN

WOMEN'S WORK

NATIONAL COUNCIL

ANNUAL MEETING OF WELLINUTON BRANCH.

The second annual meeting of rtio Wellington branch of the Women s National Council was held last night W St. John's Hall, Willis street. Miss En-land (president) tfas m the orhlarch 16th. 1917. Since then the council has done some uselul "ou.towards co-ordinatm* V„ counin the Wellington city, area. The coun oil has no power to interfere an any wav with the ■ organisations affiliated to It, its object being solely to unite all societies for mutual counsel and cooperation, in order that these society ofay -present a united front on matters on which they wish to take concer *d ™tion The .council's orovides for sectional groups of private Siduals not connected with bodies ahead} aifiliated. Every such group of ten or more would have representation on the council. The council hopes that women who feel they should dve their best to the community will join in this way. The council s vvor* this year has included the holding ot monthly meetings, at which lectures haze been given on the following subjects:—"lnfluence of the Home »"<* Social Education on Child Welfare, by Miss P. Myers; "Reconstruction of the Home," and "Women and HostWar Problems," by Mrs Harverson. "Proportional Representation," by Miss Lydia Taylor; "Prison Reform." by Mrs Beck. In order to make theso lectures as useful as possible, the Press | reports of them hava been sent by mo ' secretary to other branches of the National Council. Tho political action taken during the year was confined to uniting in the joint letter sont by nil the Dominion branches to the president of the National Executive 01 Great Britain, urging that the question j of the nationalisation of married women be brought before the Imperial Conference Bitting in .London, so thai women should not be deprived of their I nationality on marriage; also the re- ! presentation on a deputation «hich waited on Sir Francis Bell in December to prot6et against the action of tho Legislative Council in throwing out the amendment whioh would make women eligible for Parliament. The president also addressed letters on this subject and received from Mr Massey an answer promising his support when the question came up in constitutional form at the coming session. The latest society to affiliate is the Soft Goods Employees' Union, the first of the women's industrial unions to join. The president explained-the objects of the council to the Presbyterian Young Women's Bible Class Union, which' has branches all over the Dominion. It aifiliating, Ijhe society stated, they would do so as a body with the national executive. The executive has lostthree members during the year —Miss M. Nioholls, Miss Crabb, and Mrs Harverson—-all of whom resigned on leaving Wellington. Miss L. Taylor has taken Miss Nicholls's post as. secretary.

The following officers were elected:— President, Miss N. E. Goad, M.A.; vice-presidents, Mrs A. R. Atkinson, Mrs Chapman, Mrs Macdonald, and Miss England; corresponding secretary, Miss Lyra Taylor, LXi.B. ; minute secrotary and 'treasurer, Miss MoOill. Mrs Walker, president of the Gisborne National Council, gave an address on "the work of the W.O.T.TJ. Conference at Napier, which she attended as superintendent of the Maori department (this includes temperance work and the care of the home). It was a most interesting conference, there being 00 delegates present. It was one of the largest women's organisations, numbering about 7000 in New Zealand alone. It claimed to have influenced legislation a good deal, and was ÜBeful as a training school for women. Though originadly formed for temperance work, its founder (Frances Willard), urged ■uhat there was no subject on which women should not take an interest. Resolutions were passed on the subject of hostels for young people, housing, etc. The union expressed sympathy with tho objects of the Town-planning Conference, and suggested the opening ,of rest rooms as a permanent Peace memorial. 'The union approved of women being on school committees, and supportedl the movement for standardising sohool books, extension of open-air classes, a complete and compulsory system of continuation classes up to 18 of age, consolidation of sohools in rural areas. The secretary of the Shop Assistants' Union asked loave to speak at the conference, and a resolution was passed supporting a 46-hour week, the abolition of tho late night, the proper covering of concrete floors in shops, the appointment of women inspectors to look after the requirements of female employees. A resolution was passed urging that widows should be able ta claim the same compensation as epidemio widows. The claims of the children of unmarried mothers were also upheld by the conference Mrs Walker was thanked for her address.

A delegate of the Soft Goods Employees' Union made a few remarks to

the meeting on the necessity of starrm public opinion to enforce the preseii legislation, with regard to the ncces. ties of shop assistants The b*~ti arrangements wore said, to be often in adequate, also the seating accommodation She showed the necessity of P vicHnK for rest-rooms for women workers & The abolition of the late mgh. md earlier closing were advocated bi fe d speaker. The* ueedL for■ iemato inspectors to administer tho lav s on lx half of the female shop assistants i.a ureed also. A Royal Commission un totaled for to brin K down »rep?* on the whole matter, and too i^"™ [ ; intended to ask for a member on sue). commission. , , • Several spoakers s-t.ressed the n«o for enforcing the legislation, Mrs Bee, wriiw that shop assistants themsehoapathetic They sWd unitmore whole-heartedly, and would tho; find that public opinion suppoite.. t,h Mrs Aitken mentioned the matter of widows' pensions, strongly supporting thorn for all mothers. . A vote of .thanks to the chair concluded the meeting. SOCIAL AND PERSONAL. A quiet wedding took place on April 22nd at Holy Trinity Church &<*- borne, when Miss Vera Marma Rhodes, second daughter of Mr and Mrs R. Rhodes, of Desmond rood, Gisborne, was married to Mr Albert D. Robinson, io n of the late Mr W. R. Hobmson, barrister, of the same town. 11k. Rev. Mr Packe officiated The bridesmaids were Miss Elsie Rhodes (sister of the bride), and Miss Una Kirk, and Mr H. D. Robinson was best man. Ihe bride, who was given away by her father, wore a costume of hand-em-broidered crepe-de-chme, with veil .and orange blossoms, while the bridesmaids wore dre-ses of white embroidery with pink and white mob caps, and carried bouquets of pink and white cosmos. At the conclusion of the ceremony the wedding party adjourned to Fmdlay s reception room, where a repast was provided. The presents were costly and numerous, and included ft silver tea service and cheqiio from the proprietors of the "Poverty Bay Herald, as well as a handsome picture from the btaff. The bride's father, who was at one time on the mechanical staff of the "New Zealand Times," is foreman of the jobbing staff of the "Poverty Bay Herald," and her uncle Mr T. W. Rhodes, M.P. for Thamen. is proprieitor of the? "Coromandel News." The I happy couple.left for Auckland and the Lake district on their honeymoon.

Matron JR.. Gilmer. late of-the Fea<-; therston camp, is proceeding by the Willochra to Europe to-day In charge Df the German female internees. Miss Clifford, who has been staying for some time in "Wellington, returned to Christchurch on Saturday. Sister Violet Barker, of Peel Forest, has gone to Rotorua.

Mrs T. M. Wilford and Mrs. Wilford left for Oliristchurcli-.this'week;to>meet Lieutenant Wilford on his return from active service.

Mr and Mrs. J." McEwen. of Auckland, arrived bv ihe Lyttelton boat yesterday after a visit to the south. Lady Bell, wife of Sir Francis Bell, and her daughter are passengers by the Arawa, due to arrive in Christchurch this week. For the last couple of years they have been engaged in war. work in. England. ~ : r:".'.'",'.'„'.,■' .-T/--v '-'■■'■ Mr Justice Sim and Mrs Sim nave gone south after a stay in Wellington. Mrs Russell (Victoria) has left Australia en route to Vancouver, where she will meet her mother. Mrs A. W. Rutherford, and her sister, Miss Emily Rutherford, of Canterbury. Tho annual meeting of the Wellington Red Cross Society will take place to-night in the Vlepot, Mercer street. General Richardson will be present and will give a brief address. He will attend at 8.30 p.m. after visiting the Returned soldiers' meeting. Mr and Mrs Henry Wood returned to Christchurch on Saturday from a trip to Auckland and Rotorua. Miss Hope Wood is at present In Hawke's Bay, where she is the guest 'of! Mrs T. H. Lowry.

Mr and Mrs B. W. Ackland have returned from a visit to tho South la. land..

An engagement of New Zealand interest is that arinounoed between Mr Kirkby H. Wilson, M.C. (late lieutenant R.E., of Auckland, and Miss V. B. MoCowon, daughter of Mr R. McCowen, of Tralee, Ireland. Mr Wilson, who is the elder son of Mr and Mrs H. Wilson, Auckland, recently returned to England from Mesopotamia. On the declaration of war he enlisted in the Royal Engineers, and by tho end of the year he had his commission. In E|3ypt in 1915, he was sent to the Tigris with the 13th Division earlv in 11)16. Lieutenant Wilson was mentioned in General Maude's Mesopotnmian dispatch in August. 1917, and In February, 1918, he was awarded the Military Cross. Not long since ho was on short leave in New Zealand, from the East. Hister Daisy S. Brown, Q.A.1.M.N.S.R. (formerly of Waipukurau) has been demobilised, after three years' service. Part- of the time she was at the Military Hospital at York, and for the last year has been in France. Sister Brown will return home at an parly date. She was at the Tlmaru Hospital from 191£-R>ls.