MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

DOWNFALL OF THE HOHEfil-i' ZOLLERNS. , ! CRY FOE PUNISHMENT. Eecoived Nw. 18, 10 pan. j iLodiJob, Nov. 11. The downfall of the iHohenzollerns and their ignominious flight is the absorbing topic of the 'newspapers- The fate of Xerxes ajid Darius is recalled as a parallel to the ruin, which, however, is more immense and sudden than Europe" ever witnessed.

Columns are published of extracts of braggart and blasphemous utterances of the Kaiser, and the hope is expressed that the Imperial criminal will not escape punishm<mt for his misdeeds. That the Kaiser has gone over to Holland is regarded .is certain, hut it is pointed out there is a danger of reaction in favor of Kaiserism if the people, through his disappearance, escaped penalties for the crimes they applauded.—Reuter. EGYPTIAN ORDERS JFOROTW ZEALANDERS. London. Nor. 10. Egyptian awards of the Order of.the Nik of ' tihe third class have been conferred on colonials, D. Chaytor and J. Rndlay, Now Zealanders.—Aus and N£. Cable Assoc and Eeuter. WAE WORK m BRTTATN,

Many points of interest lo women were dismissed, during an interview by the Auckland Herald, by Mrs Eneton Parkes, who is visiting Auckland. For some years Mrs Parkes has been very closely associated with the work of wotmen in England, taking an active part in the suffrage campaign, and participating in various reform movements, to obtain better conditions for women in general. When the Women's Emergency Corps was formed Mrs (Partes became financial secretary. Of the wonderful .work of this corps, Mrs iParkes gives a most interesting account/ On the out- | break of war hundreds of Women in England were thrown out of employment. Business firms curtailed ftwir staffs private houses dismissed their employees, and numerous official positions held by women were done away with—all with a view of cutting down expenses. With ja keen grip of the situation and by neans of thorough organisation, the women who had hitherto been leaders of the various feminist movements in En»land formed an emergency corps to provide employment for those who hsd been turned adrift. Huge working concerns were put into motion and women were employed in the manufacture of articles that had formerly been imported. One of the largest industries taken np was that of making tops. As time went on and women were needed to fill the vacancies left by the men, the corps was able to supply the factories with efficient women workers. It was then that the necessity for specialising and training was felt, and once more the institution rose to the occasion and gave these women the opportunity of receiving instructions in the various industries that were calling for workers.

On this point Mrs Parkes spoke verv strongly of the lack of foresight women had shown in not having a trade or profession to turn to. In most cases it was the parents' fault. Those in easy circumstances had taken it for granted that their daughters would never need to earn their own living and those of the poorer classes had put their daughters in positions where they would immediately become wage-earners, instead of making some sacrifice to give them an opportunity of acquiring knowledge in some particular trade. One of the most insistent demands of the feminist movements was for equal advantages for boys landI and girls in fitting them to.gam a livelihood and make their way in life. Another point touched on by Mrs, Parkes was the cheapening of women's labor. Prom this injustice the men would suffer as well as the women, Wojmen, because they worked for smaDer salaries, would fill positions formerly occupied by men, and so long as women belittled their work by accepting a lower rate of pay, this inequality in the seale of salaries would continue. But before women could demand equal pay they \tould have to become as competent and proficient as the men whose work they undertake. l

Regarding women's suffrage, Mrs Parkes commented on tha fact that although the women of New Zealand had for 25 years held the'right to -rote, they evinced very little interest in politics. This was no doubt due to the fact that women here were in the numerical minority, and also,, that wornm in the colonies ware much more fortunate than their sisters in the United Kingdom in regard to the conditions under which they lived and worked.