WOMAN'S WORLD.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 May 1916, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD.

NEW PLYMOUTH SOCIAL NEWS. Mrs. G. Fraser, who has been visiting Auckland, has returned. Miss Molly Mace, of Masterton, is the guest of Miss K. Leathain. Mrs- Paul left on Tuesday for Wellington, where she will be met by her daughter, Mrs. Bennett, of Blenheim. Mrs. Dell isHioliday-making in Tauranga, and will afteJwards go to Auckland. •*• • » Mrs. Kimbell, who has been on a short visit to New Plymouth, has returned to Hawera. Mrs S. Teed is the guest of Mrs. Macklow, of Eemuera. Mr. and Mrs. Henschelwood, who have been making a short stay in New Plymouth, have, returned to Wellington. Mrs. Jenkins and her daughter (Mrs. F. Birdling) have returned to Waitara. Mrs. J. H. Williams and Miss Williams (Hawke's Bay) are at present in New Plymouth. Mr. Vigor Brown, Mrs. Brown and Misses Brown (3), who had been staying at the Mountain House, paid New Plymouth a short visit last week before returning to Napier. * # * * Mr. and Mrs. Corbett-Cooper nave returned to Christchureh after a pleasant stay in New 'Plymouth, Mrs. Collinson and ner sister, Miss Wishaw, of Hawera, spent a few days in New Plymouth this week. Miss Irene Skinner, of Christchureh, is visiting her grandmother (Mrs. W. Skinner) at New Plymouth. Mrs. Tonks, of Hawera, is, spending a few days here. Mrs. McMaster is at present in New Plymouth. Mrs. Hall, who has been holiday-mak-ing in New 1 Plymouth, has returned to Wanganui. Mrs. Robinson, of Mokau, is spending a few days in New 'Plymouth. Mrs. Sutherland, of Wanganui, is holi-day-making in New Plymouth. Mrs. R. George, who jias been staying at the Mountain House, has returned. Mrs. Armstrong, who has been visiting her sister (Mr. W. Kerr, of Wanganui), passed through New Plymouth last week. Mrs. Randall, of Ractihi, is the guest' of Mrs. Ken. Webster. Mrs. Edwards, Mr. L. Kdwards and Miss Bicknell. who have been staying at Dawson's Fall's Mountain House, paid a short visit to New Plymouth before returning to Wellington. Mr. and Miss Crump, of Eltham, have been making a short stay in New Plymouth. Mrs. Ivan Standish, who has been the guest of Mrs. A. 'R. Standish, has returned to Auckland. Mrs. Frank r.hmdell is visiting her relatives in Feilding. Mrs. Bernard Smith, of Hastings, is the guest of Miss Percy Smith. Mrs. Teat, ,vho has been on a visit to 'her daughter (Mrs. A. H. Colvile) has returned to Otaki. » » » \, Mrs. Lewis Webster, who is visiting' her mother (Mrs. J. Avery) returns to Stratford on Monday. Mrs. Milroy, who has been on a short visit to New Plymouth, where she was -the guest of her daughter, Mrs. Oordon B'raser, has returned to Auckland. Mrs. Brewster, who has been on a visit to Wellington, returns to New Plymouth by the mail train to-night. Mrs. A. Morris, of Parnell, is the guest of Mrs. A. H. Colvile. Mrs. Cliisholm Hamerton, who has been holiday-making "in Auckland, has returned to Inglewood.

Last Thursday afternoon Mrs. W. Chaney gave a most enjoyable babies' party in honor of her little grandchild's (Christine Clianey's) birthday. Those who assisted were "Misses 0. Mackay, K. Hamerton, F. Wood, J. Home' and P. Bedford. Amongst other guests were: Mesdames Roy, G. Millar, MeAllum, Bradbury, J. Glenn, H. Russell, Dodgshun and Bloxam.

The ladies of Rahotu have been busily working during the summer, and have now another case of comforts ready to forward to the hospitals for the use of the wounded soldiers. Some of their handiwork has been on view in Mr. T. P. Hughson's window for the past few days, and has attracted general attention, and should act as an incentive to others to "do their bit." Among the articles are 24 sleeping suits, 19 night shirts, 12 draw sheets, IS pillow-cases, 11 top sheets. 5 scarves, 14 pairs of hand knitted and fl pairs of machine knitted day socks, A pairs of bed socks, 3 flannel bed shirts, and 3 bod jackets, towels and handkerchiefs. Placards intimate that the ladies of Rahotu are going to make more, for the sick and wounded heroes, and "if you have no time, money will help." It is proposed also to include in the case supplies of soups, soap, writing-pads, chocolates, etc.

THE SQUIRE'S DAUGHTER. TRAITOR OR FOOL! ENGLISH GIRL INTERNED. London, March 30. Any stick is good enough to heat the Coalition Government with to-day, but gome of the sticks picked up by its critics prove particularly rotten. The other day, in the House of Commons, certain members laid themselves out to flagellate the Government for alleged sins of people responsible for the administration of the provisions of the Defence of the Realm Act. Under that Act the authorities have very wide and peculiar powers in the matter of arresting people, and otherwise interfering with "the liberty of the subject," which we should not tolerate in time of peace. But most people recognise very readilv *k»t the Defease ?« the Boftlm Art

would be more or less a dead letter if the police and the military and naval authorities concerned in its administration had to observe the same tenderness towards the feelings of individuals, and were trammelled by the observance of peace-time customs in their dealing with suspects. No doubt a good many arrests have been made under the Act. which have, no investigation, proved morn or less unjustified, and no doubt a good many innocent individuals have been ;put to a good deal of inconvenience be;ciiuse they had the misfortune to fall under suspicion. In some eases arrests have been made for which it is hard to discover any real justification whatever, but it is i>ctte:. that the authorities should err in the direction of precipitancy than on the side of caution, as they did in the early days of the war. The gentlemen who tried to "roast" the Government over the alleged misdeeds done under Act might have found n rcore of cases of arrest and detention which the authorities responsible would have found it difficult to defend, but as it happened they made a peculiarly unfortunate hcoiee. They cited in particular the ease of a squire's daughter, a young lady of untainted British lineage, who. was torn from her home whilst her fond father was absent shooting last September, and was still an inmate of an internment camp, though no charge had been made against her.

On the face of it the treatment of this English girl looked n had one', but. the Attorney-General's defence altered its complexion more than a little; indeed, he showed th.it so fur from being an injured innocent, the "squire's daughter," on her own admission, richly deserved her fate. For the p?.st six or seven years she ln:i been the intimate friend of a person who had been obliged to flee the country because he had been associated -with sedition and attempts at assassination. Towards the beginning of the war this gentleman had left England and had gone to Berlin, and he had since been employed there as an agent of the enemy. He had visited neutral countries, and in May, Iflln, the squire's daughter had gone to Switzerland to meet the German spy, and the two had stayed in the same hotel for several days. She had then come back to England with a message from the spy to one of his accomplices here, and whe* she was arrested she had in her possession literature of a seditious, character advocating revolution and murder! The critics had cited other cases of alleged errtr or excess of authority, but after the manner in which the Attor-ney-General had disposed of their "pet" case, they did not seem particularly anxious to dispute Sir F. E. Smith's statement that he had conclusive answers to all the cases they had brought forward, or to call upon him to give chapter and verse for his assertion.