PERSONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 October 1915, Page 6

PERSONAL.

Mrs. Birch-Johnston, who has beeu on a visit to Sydney, has returned. * * * * Mrs. Simpson, who has been on a visit to Auckland, has returned. * * * * Miss Patterson (Dunedin) is the guest of Mrs. Gordon Fraser. * * * #. Miss Harris (Hawera) is on a visit to New Plymouth. Mrs. J. B. Eoy, who has been on a short visit to Wellington, has returned. * * * * Mrs. Drew (Wanganui) is the guest of' Mrs. H. Fookes. * * * * Mr. and Mrs. Hawkes, Wanganui, are holiday-making in New Plymouth. * * * * Miss Devore (Auckland) is the guest of Mrs. Bewley, »' * * * Miss Pratt is the guest of Mrs. W. H. S. Skinner, Napier, * * # * Mrs. A. H. Colvile. who has been the guest of Mrs Tripe, Wanganui, is now visiting Dr. and Mrs. Livesey, Feilding. * * * * Miss M. Glasgow (Wanganui) during her short stay in New Plymouth was the guest of Miss Brewster. * * * * Mrs. James Kodgers (Hamilton) is visiting her sister, Mrs. E. Griffiths, Fitzroy. * * * *

Mrs. A. C, Fookes, who has been the guest of Mrs. Horner, Patea, has returned. * * * *

Mr. and Mrs. Taylor, who have been spending a few days in New Plymouth, have left for Napier.

Mr. and Mrs. Merryweather, who have been on a short visit to New Plymouth, left for Wanganui'last week.

Miss Watson, who has been visiting , friends in New Plymouth, has returned to her home in Bulb.

Mrs. Claude Weston, who has returned from her short visit to Hawke's Bay, leaves early next week for Wellington.

The engagement is announced of Miss Ivy C. Horsnell, eldest daughter of Captain and Mrs. C. Horsnell, New Plymouth to Mr. M. Carey, Patea. * * * *

The engagement of Miss Daisy Taene (Dunedin, and late of New Plymouth) to Mr. Arthur Webber, of Kotorua, Is announced. * * * *

Misses K. Leatham and M. Matthews leave next Tuesday for Dan'nevirke, where they will be the guest of Mrs. P. Prichard, the former's sister. * * * *

Mr., Mrs. and Miss Bignell, who motored through to New Plymouth from Wanganui, have returned after attending the wedding of Mr. A. F. Bignell to Miss Pat Bayly. * * * *

Miss Rackael Norton, secretary of the Young Helpers' League, a branch of Dr. Barnardo's Homes, with her -wardens, left New Plymouth yesterday for Stratford. The party expect to leave for England about March. During their stay in New Plymouth they have secured nearly 300 members for the League, bringing the total members they have secured in New Zealand during a year's tour to between 12,000 and 13,000.

STATIONARY HOSPITAL. -- A Stationary Hospital afternoon «wSS held up the Mokau River on Thursday, September 3, by a number of Mokau and Awakino ladies, to make bandages, etc., and to collect money to buy dressings. A total of about £4O was collected and 400 yards of material disposed of. Those present were Mesdames W. Black, Scott, Robinson, Sampson, A Black, Hodgson, Bono, Whitehead, McNiely, Leach, McKoy, McGresror, Lake, Sole, Avery, Howard, Condon" Stewart. Misses Potts, Condon, and Sheeny. Victor, the launch proprietor, who conveyed the Udies up the river very kindly Igave the proceeds (£1) to the fund. The meeting was a most enthusiastic one, and it was decided to hold one in I six time at Mokau and another at Awakino.

NOTES OF INTEREST. The Rifle Club of the women's branch of the National Reserve in Auckland is one of its most popular activities, and great interest was taken in a shooting match, Women v. Men, which was held at the Drill Hall on Friday night week. The men competing belonged to the mounted brunch of the reserve, and the teams were ten a-side. The match resulted in a decisive win for the women, who scored 3"25 points, as against 307 for the men. The fine marksmanship of the women came as a considerable surprise to many of their opponents, ■and showed that the excellent coaching the Women's Rifle Club lias had during the last few months has borne good results. The highest score made—3l out of 3ij—-was credited to Miss Fenton; 33 being the .highest individual score on the other side. The shooting of the women maintained an excellent average, very few scoring fewer than 30. Mrs. Finch, wife of Major Finch, of the 3rd Manchester Begimcnt, is doing patriotic service at a riverside wharf, where she is acting as "ganger" on War Oflice work with GO women under tier control. About 400 women teachers from Glasgow and the neighborhood assisted in the picking of raspberries during the summer holidays, as the farmers could not get labor. They Jived in huts, did their own cooking, and were paid at the rate of V«d per lb. Women hare even invaded the very sanctum of British conservatism—the Bank of England. Over 200 are now employed there in many forms of clerical work, both in tile ordinary departments of the bank and in the new departments connected with the war loan. These women bank clerks are all working at high pressure; in many cases they are putting in as much as 12 hours' work a day. An Australian writer enters into the subject of Che cost of living in England,

and gives some interesting details as follows:—"Good gracious! It was not until a friend, writing from England on the subject of the high cost of living there, and how dreadfully uppish prices are, that I discovered the appalling prices that remain here. Food is so extremely uninteresting to me, and not being "the housekeeper, it never enters into my head to enquire about prices, but now I am intensely interested from the point of view of national economies. With everything steadily rising, what is going to happen next And will prices ever, ever, go down again? Anyway, at present it is cheaper to go and live in England. There a 41b loaf is 7%d; fresh I butter, Is 3'/ 2 d per lb; cheese, 10'4d (and they call that dear); bacon, 19, and so on. Coal is 32s a ton for the very best, and we have been paying 3Cs for some time. Wjth our 41b loaf at 9d, butter coming down now, hut it 2s 4d for ever so long; elieose, at Is Cd, and bacon at Is Bd, the English people who are amazed at the height of their foodstuff prices seem in comparison with our prices to be living for a mere song." The cables told us that Worth's London house was closing. Here is the story in a London paper;— There is consternation among the work girls at Worth's. After 14 years m London the great Paris dressmaker is to close the English branch of the famous house in two weeks' time. "Perhaps we shall be able to open again in six months," said M. Poncet, the manager, to a Press representative. "Who knows? At present it is not worth while to go on. Our clients? Yes, they have been splendid. But this

crane for economy in clothes —it mesins that we shall have to suspend business till after the war—or until matters improve." The head of one of the departments said that the news of the closing of the house had come to all the employees as a huge surprise. "It is very serious for us all," she said, sorrowfully. '•"We are so happy here. We get the best food possible, new dresses every year, and excellent wages. I have been here nine years. And the clients hive been so good. That is why I cannot understand the closing of the house. Ladies who in the ordinary course expect two years' credit have paid up like angels. And as soon as it became known that we could not carry on, duchesses and countesses have called in their cars to know if they could help. It will be indeed serious for the work-girls. I fear they will be unable to get posts elsewhere. All the London houses are telling applicants that they will have to wait a long time for a vacancy. And who knows how long the war will last! There are no race gowns, no court gowns, no elaborate evening gowns, and all this means a difference to the big houses. But to think of Worth closing! It is impossible'"

Shampooing, Hairdressing and Twisting; Electrolysis for the permanent re- > mcval of superfluous hair. Switches, i Toupees, etc. Ladies' combings made up I to any design. MRS. BEADLE, Egmont s Toilet Parlors, Griffiths' Buildings, New Plymouth, near Oarnegie Library.