THE WOMEN OF FRANCE

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 25 May 1917, Page 7

THE WOMEN OF FRANCE

A young doctor, writing to his mother from France recently, said: “I hope the | women of Australia arc bearing their losses in'the same wonderful spirit as the women of France, mother dear. The women here are beyond nil praise; their spirit of selfsaerifice is as nobly high as the heroism and gallantry of their men. The way they put their griefs behind them and loyally carry on to keep the country going is mar- f vcllous. ” There arc women in our country, too, who arc showing that spirit, but there arc others who make us very heart-sick at times. While the women of countries caught up in the maelstrom of this fierce war arc bereft of home and starving for want of food, a community of well-paid, avcllfed waitresses connected with one of our biggest restaurant companies elect to go "out and strike for more money more food, and more time to go to picture shows or lie about on the beaches. Not long ago they received the award of the court—to the terms of which they agreed—that a certain sum should be the minimum of their wages, which were instantly increased 3/-. This company, to show their sympathy with their employees, very generously increased the award of the court another 3/ beyond the original rise. Then the girls showed their appreciation of this generous treatment by going out on Comment on this is unprintable. What strikc __ an d taking the cooks with them a different picture is the attitude of the domestic servants of France, who voluntarily pledged themselves that for the duration of the war they would keep only 1/6 a week of their wages for their own use, the rest to go to the support of the widows and orphans of French soldiers.