FOR WOMEN FOLK.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 March 1916, Page 6

FOR WOMEN FOLK.

> *■ BY EILEEN.'

" Eileen " will be glad to reoeive items of interest an

vafae to women for publication or reference in this column,

NEW PLYMOUTH SQMCUL NEWS. PERSONAL ITEMS. Miss Davy and Miss Smart (Onehunga) are the guests of Mrs. C. Curtis. • • • Mrs. Addenbrooke is on a visit to her daughter, Mrs. E. Griffiths, Remuera. Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Fookes are holi-day-making in Wanganui. • » • Mrs. H. Stocker is visiting relatives in Christchurch. » » ♦ Mrs. Hardy and Miss Warren (Xapier) are on a visit to Xew Plymouth. Mrs. H. Brookman is on a visit to the Mountain House. * * • Mrs. Finnery (Wellington) is spending a few days in Xew Plymouth. * # # Mr. and Mrs. Gorring, who have been on a visit to Xew Plymouth, have returned to Te Awamutu. » » < Mrs. Crowe (Auckland) is at present in Xew Plymouth. Mrs. Seddon and Miss Seddon (Wellington) are at present in Xew Plymouth. » • • Mrs. Xanearrow (Hawera) and Miss P. Bedford (Xew Plymouth) are holi-day-making in Wellington . * * # Rev. T. Farley and Mrs. Farley (Xew South Wales), who have been visiting their relatives in Xew Plymouth, left on Monday for Napier. Mrs. C. H. Weston and "Mrs. W. C. Weston, who have been visiting Rotoma, have returned to Xew Plymouth. Mrs. McKellar, who has been the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Abraham. Khandallah, Wellington, has returned. Mrs. Cruickshank and family, who have been spending some months in ' Auckland, having taken a furnished cottage on the Takapuna beach, have returned. *« • » Miss Cane, of the Xew Plymouth Telephone Exchange staff, has received notice of transfer to Mokau as postmistress.

FETE OF NATIONS The Fete of Nations, organiser] for patriotic purposes, visited Stratford last Wednesday, under tlie direction of the organiser, Mr. W. Lints, and the performers were conveyed there by motorears, which were generously placed at their disposal by a number of New Plymouth residents. They were received by a. crowded house, and the .audience proved a very appreciative one, as every item was encored. On their arrival in Stratford they were wVmly welcomed and received by tlie members of the Patriotic League. After the performance was over, the visitors were entertained at a delightful supper by. the lady members of the Patriotic Society After cheers were exchanged, and "For they are jolly good fellows" was sung, the New Plymouth people, in a very happy and grateful frame of mind, returned home in their cars. GARDEN FETE. At Lepperton last* Thursday afternoon a fete, organised bv the local residents, was held in Mr. G. S. Clifford's charming grounds in aid of the boys at the front, and, as the day was an'ideal one, the fete proved an unqualified success. All sorts of side-shows were arranged in different parts of the lovely garden, but the main' attraction was a little concert company, who called themselves "The rierrots," and for whose benefit an al-fresco opera-house was erected under the shade of some fine old English trees. This concert was organiscd by the Clifford family, whose musical talents proved a revelation to the audience; in fact, if Miss Eileen Clifford •would apply for a position on the theatrical stage she would easily secure it. a s her playing, "inging, dancing and mimicries were excellent. Prior to opening the garden fete, Mr. and Mrs. Clifford entertained their personal friends at a small luncheon party, amongst those present being: Dr. and Mrs. Valintine, Dr. and the Misses Leatliam, Dr. | Whetter, Mrs. Rladden, Mrs. Cornwall, Mrs. G. Pott, Mr. and Mrs. D. Hursthouse, Miss Read, Miss Testar, Miss Ellis, Mrs. R. Quilliam, • Rev. Harirson and Mrs. Harrison, Miss Lepper. Miss Wheatley. I

ROMANCE OF SCOTCH DISTILLER. "WIFE WHO TOOK HER MEALS IN THE KITCHEN." The love-story of a Scottish distiller was told in the Scottish Court of Session, Edinburgh, recently, when Mary Kussell, or Mackenzie,'brought an action for a declaration that she was married to the late Thomas Maekenic, of Dailuaine, Banffshire, and JDuncnrss, Bearsden. Petitioner was housekeeper to Mr. Mackenzie, and lier daughter is the lntter's heiress. The action is defended by the trustees of Mr. Mackenzie.

Petitioner, who is 43 years of age, said sne was a domestic servant "at Dailuaine when Mrs. Mackenzie was alive. Mrs. Mackenzie died in 1809. Some time afterwards Mr. Mackenzie constantly professed an attachment for her, and spoke of marriage. He suggested she should go to a school and improve herself. She told him all about her n-i«t life, as she thought he would r- enrit f or ] l( , r w ] lpn },,, k llew But Ml'. ■Wai''.;i-. ■■■'■> ' continued his attentions, and in r,.c, ziilier, IflOft, she went to Aberdeen, where a male child was born. The child died. A letter was read from Mr. Mackenzie, regretting the death, and stating: "I had been planning all sorts of good things for you both." Later he proposed a private marriage, and in March, 1001, in a furnished house hehad provided for petitioner in Glasgow, he said that he was a justice of the peace, and that if a man and woman exchanged vows, they were rnarried as legally as if in a church. He read passages from the Common Prayer, and each ligned the declaration o.f marriage,

"MARY RUSSELL IS MY WIFE.' She lived with him at Skelriwilie, and from 1806 until his death. At Dnncarss she was the housekeeper, under the name of Mrs. Russell. A daughter was born in ISOS. Mr, Mackenzie registered the child, giving himself as the father, and he insisted that n document should be signed that, in the event of petitioner's death, he should have charge of the child. One of Mr. Mackenzie's 0 sisters became very much attached to the child, and this caused scenes of jealousy. The child was registered as illegitimate. Mr. van Oithbertson, solicitor, said his firm had prepared Mr. Mackenzie's will, and he had said nothing about his marriage to petitioner. He simply described her as his housekeeper, and left her an annuity of £IOO. He gave instructions, making the daughter practically his heiress. In going over Mr. Mackenzie's papers, he found a sealed letter, which stated: "This is to certify that Mary Russell is my wife." For the defence, Mr. William George Mackenzie said his'brother spoke of petitioner as Mrs. Russell, and she spoke of him as "the master." -Petitioner never sat at the table wiht his brother. Miss Mackenzie, a sister, said Mrs. Russell behaved as a housekeeper, and took her meals in the kitchen. I The hearing was not concluded when ' the mail left.

I NOBLEMAN AHD ACTRESS • LORD ST. OSWALT) MARRIES DALY , BEAUTY. Lord St. Oswald was erroneously de- ■ scribed as having Inst his eldest son, the Hon. Rowland Wyin, at the front . in France just a year ago. After the young officer's death had been announced in the official list issued by the f. War Department in London, it developed that he was still alive, though badly wounded. In the course of time he recovered, and, before returning to the front a few weeks ago. secretly married a Hiss Eva Carew, a young actress, who has ] been playing in "Betty" at Daly's Theatre in London. The ceremony took place on October 20. at St. Saviour's Church, Paddington, and the news has just be- . come known. 4 , Rowland Winn has hitherto been an officer of the Coldstream Guards. There is a strict rule, instituted by King .Edward at the outset of his reign, requiring officers of the various Regiments of Guards who marry women connected r with the stage at once to resign their ' commissions, on the ground that the officers of these regiments, constituting the Household Brigade, are officers of the Royal Household, and that it. is in- ' convenient to have men who are barred ' from presentation at Court. The rule ' against women connected with the stage ? being admitted to Court is still rigoroua- ' Iv enforced. 1 AN ANCIENT FAMILY. The marriage of Rowland Winn is the first instance of an officer of the Guards marrying an actress since the ; beginning of the war, and it will he interesting to see whether he will be compelled to relinquish his commission ' and to secure a transfer to some Territorial Corps. The estates to which young Rowland Winn is next heir, and from the eventual possession of which he cannot be excluded, owing to their being entailed, are extensive, and the St. Oswald peerage is a rich one, deriving most of its wealth from the great Winn collieries. ! Lord St. Oswald, like his father, i» 1 distinguished for his remarkable know- ' ledge of (jneehanics and for his taste for engineering. Many of the most ingenious mechanical contrivances in use in the family collieries are due to the in- ■ vention of members of his family. The Winns are descended from Sir Rowland Winn, a London merchant, 1 who flourished in the reign of Charles 1., and from his pon, who was created a baronet on the Restoration. Lady St. ■ Oswald is a daughter of Lady Forbes of Newes, the latter a sister of Georgiana, Countess of Dudley, and has inherited' through her mother much of the beauty , for which women of the MoncrciiTe family are celebrated. DRESSING THE WORLD'S WOMEN. WHY WOOL IS "BOOMING." FROCKS NOT KHAKI. Bradford, December la. It is not worth while paying a visit to Bradford nowadays in order to enjoy the pleasant spectacle of a manufacturing town that is prospering by its own native industry independent of war work (writes Mr. Charles E. Hand's). It is making big profits and earning high wages, but it is working for the world, and it is not the Government that finds the money. Bradford's peculiar position is that it works for the womenfolk of the world. It is tne greatest centre of the woollen industry, but its pre-eminence is due to the fact that is specialises in woollen fabrics of the kinds that women wear. There are other indutrial centres that are world-renowned for the production of heavy cloths woven of wool for tho clothing of men and horses and other beasts of burden, for making into rugs | and blankets. But men, horses, and ] other wearers of enduring homespun | have not the purchasing power of women, who want appearance as well as quality. The men of half the world are at war and are not concerned about : their clothes; but the women of all the world are still dressing themselves, and Bradford is hard put to it to supply . them. There i s nowhere else in the world that is in a position to meet their requirements. The war has stopped the ; looms and spindles of many competing centres. The Germans are in Roubaix . and other towns in northern France and ■ Belgium in which dress fabrics are pro- , duccd. In Saxony and Austria, if dress , goods are being produced nothing is being exported. But in the Americas, North and South, in the neutral countries all over tho world, in China as ' well as in Great Britain, millions upon ] millions of women arise every morning and want new frocks. The economic effects of. war are not 1 easy to estimate. When the great conflaSf*t|oa broke out Bradford thought )

itself ruineS. Germany h'ad been its best customer for wool in the early stages of manufacture of "tops" «nd "floils" and yarn and other products of its combing and spinning mills. The dislocation and congestion of the world's trading system would, it was feared, restrict both supply and demand. Already the high-water mai'k of the trade boom was falling with the ebb of % tide, and a period of great depression seemed inevitable.

In the hope of being able to carry on Bradford tried to adapt itself to the making of heavy khaki cloth for soldiers' wear, and rejoiced when it procured Government orders for such materials. , But by the time, these orders had been dealt with the town knew that it did not want any more. The world's women were clamoring for dress goods, and Bradford found itself as busy as it could be in its own proper trade. It is sending dress stuffs to France now as well as all over the world. It is declining order? from all over the world because it is unable to execute them. The manufacturers' dream of the millenium has come true; the combination of high prices and increased demand. Wool has gone up in price and is still rising; dyeing materials have risen enormously with the withdrawal of the German synthetic chemicals. ' A dye which before the war sold at Is a lb. could not be procured the other day at £2 10s, and now commends a price of £4 the lb.—Boo per cent, increase. Labor has gone up and is hard to get, coal has gone up, freights have gone up, yarn has gone up 50 per cent; the finished article costs twice as much to produce as it did a year and a half ago, but still the demand is insatiable. The world's womenfolk want nice new clothes, and what they want they must have irrespective of cost. Bradford is the better able to take advantage of the present condition of the world's market because it has anticipated the need for national organisation by organising to a certain extent its own staple industry. The formation of the Bradford Dyers' Association has placed it in a strong position. It is the dveing and finishing of the woven cloth that commands the markets of the world. Before the formation of the association scores of small competing factories were getting in one another's way and not producing the fabrics of the pattern and color which the women of the world wanted. In combination the dyers and finishers wore able to pursue investigations and experiments, to show energy and invention which were impossible to them individually. The association found new processes, new designs, new materials. It developed specialisation in factories, to the improvement of quality and production. It gave an enormous impetils to theVoollen industry. Trade in various kinds of goods which had been captured by foreign lands was recovered.

It is because of the work of the association that Bradford is able to grasp the present opportunities in Rpite of the difficulties which the war creates. There is a great shortage of labor, and not only of male labor. For the places in offices and warehouses of young men who have joined the colors have been taken by young. women who formerly worked as weavers and spinners. Manv wo.'.ien whose menfolk have either endowed them with separation allowances, or else bring increased earnings home at the week-end now find it unnecessary to work at all.