WOMAN'S WORLD

Taranaki Daily News, 30 August 1919, Page 6

WOMAN'S WORLD

PERSONAL. Mrs. J. W. Hayden is visiting Auck land.

Mrs. Hammond and Miss L. Harper, who motored from Wanganui, spent the day in New Plymouth on their way to Auckland. * * • •

Mrs. H. Abraham and Mrs, Hugh Wilson, of Stratford, were in town this week.

Miss Thornhill, who has been staying with Mrs. Tolme, Fitzroy, has returned to Wellington. *

Mrs. Mortimer Jones left for Cam' bridge last Thursday.

Mrs. Caliphronas, of the Diocesan School staff (Stratford), is visiting New Plymouth.

Mrs. and Miss Fitzherbert left for Auckland on Thursday.

Miss Gibtin is visiting Eltham,

Miss Barr, principal of the Girls' High School, is spending her holidays in Wellington. • • • •

The engagement is announced of Miss Phyllis Kemp, youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. Kemp, Tirau, late of New Plymouth, to Major Guy Cheeseman, of Auckland, who has recently returned from active service. • • • •

Mrs. Eimbell and Miss I. Eimbell, who have been spending a short holiday in New Plymouth, have returned to Hawera.

**i * * Mrs. McAlister (Stratford), has been spending a few days in New Plymouth. * ■ * *. . • Miss B. Campbell, matron of the New Plymouth Hospital, is visiting Auckland. •' * • •

Mrs. A. Bennett left on Tuesday on a trip to Wellington.

Mrs. Blackley is spending a holiday in Auckland.

Mrs. Arthur Penn, of Auckland, is visiting New Plymouth.

"Visitors at Chatsworth include Mrs. Blair Mason (Dmiedin), Mrs. Huse (Rahotu), Miss C. Stanford (Stratford).

Visitors at the White Hart this week include Mr. and Mrs. Stewart (Eltham), Mr. and Mrs. Meehan (Auckland), Mr. and Mrs. McAllister (Stratford), Mr., Mrs. and Miss Hume (Masterton), Mr., Mrs. and Miss Broderick (Wellington).

SOCIAL NEWS. Afternoon Tea.—Last Monday Mis 3 Doris Bradbury entertained a number of frienda at afternoon tea at her residence, Miss Roy and Miss Sybil Fitzherbert being the guests of honor. A very interesting guessing competition provided a great deal of hard thinking, Miss Monica lien--non being the prize winner. Those present were: Mrs. Nicholson, Mrs. Wade, Mrs. G. Millar, Mrs. R. QuiUiam, Mrs. B. H. Chaney, Mrs. G. Fraser, Miss M. Lennon, Miss Hirst, Miss Crooke, Miss Fitzherbert, Miss Roy, Miss D. Baker, Miss C. Douglas, Miss C. Leatham, Mrs. R. E. George, Miss F. Winfield, Miss R. Renaud, Miss M. Kerr, Miss Wheatley, Miss Armstrong, Miss Rochel, Mrs. F. Robertson, Mrs. P. B. Fitzherbert.

Mrs. Courtney, Mrs. J. Paul and Mrs. W. Bayly entertained Mrs. Fitzherbert at bridge this week.

A COMPLIMENTARY PARTY. A delightful party was given by Miss Clarice Douglas at her residence last Thursday evening as a farewell to Miss Muriel Roy. Each guest' was asked to bring a gift of "something useful" and great fun was caused on the opening of the parcels. The guessing competition was won by Miss Monica Leriuon, and during the evening several musical items were given by Misses Leatham, Armstrong, Hirst and M. Thompson. Those present were: Mesdames T. Shaw, P. Robertson, Mayne (Christchurch), R. Quilliam, Wade, Reston, G. Millar, Balharry, jMisses Roy, Drew, Wade, Cox (Auckland), Renaud, McKellar, Whitcombe (2), Curtis, Moore, B. King, M. Lennon, Crooke 5 , W. Webster, A. Wilson, Corkill (2), Thomson (2), B. Hirst, Sturtevant.

CHILDREN'S DANCE. As a children's dance is quite an unusual event in New Plymouth, Mrs. Leslie Nolan's party last Thursday was looked forward to with the greatest excitement by the young people. Games and dancing were indulged in until supper time, when the young folk did full justice to the sumptuous ariVy of tempting dishes.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE GIRLS. MARRIAGE MARKET BUSY. The normal New Zealand girl has plenty of poise and self-reliance; she has the native apjomb of an independent spirit, and she is not given to hysteria. There was a period, however, towards the snd of the war, when added to the other trials that shred the nerves there arrived repeated news by cable, post and returning transport, that a large proportion of New Zealand's sons were having their affections wefaned away from their true and- bounden allegiance. ,It really did seem at one time as if about half the New Zealand army was likely to bring back ,war brides from among the daughters of Britain and France. It looked as though our boys abroad had been sinitten by an epidemic of marriage making, and murmurs arose, not very loud, but just a bit nervy, from the girls who had been waiting in New' Zealand with bright eyes and brave heart for the day when the boys came home again.

GETTING BETTER EVERY DAY. But the position turns out to be not so bad after all. In fact, one way and another it is remarkably promising for the marriageable girl in New Zealand, who is very much better off in this regard than is her British sister, in spite of the circumstances that a thousand or two of our lads are bringing war brides home with them- In brief the Government Statistician tells us that at the end of June last the se\- balance in the Dominion had been completely restored, that is to say that out of a population of 1,139,101 the proportion was 5»9,305 males and 569,709 females. This, of cour.«, is as it should be, but it is not merely remaining at that. It is getting better for the girl all the time, for while the immigration of men—mostly young, marriageable men, continues to exceed the emigration by a substantial margin, bhm tin m»m wctum* tu^mtt

the ebb and flow of women. Tn the June quarter 891 more women left New Zealand than entered it, and though this excess of emigration has eased off in the past two months, it is still considerable. The relaxation of the restrictions imposed on women in the shape of travelling while the war was on, is largely responsible for this sudden female flight to foreign parts. Many of them will return, but a substantial proportion of these departing ladies are, going for good, having been detained here while travelling was impossible. A MARRIAGE BOOM I

Another encouraging feature is the evident desire of the young New Zealander to marry and settle down, now that the horrors and uncertainties of war are past. This is very noticeable in Auckland, and doubtless the same tendency exists in the other parts of the Dominion. The Registrar of Marriages has been an exceedingly busy man this year. Business has boomed in short, for besides issuing aft unusual number of licenses there has been an uncommonly large proportion of the happy couples demanding to be joined on the spot as man and wife.

In 1908 a total of 1056 licenses were issued by the Registrar at Auckland, while this year the tally up to last night was 998, while several others this morning brought the figure over the thousand mark, almost up to last year's total, with four clear months yet to run. Among these new voyagers on the sea of matrimony returned soldiers constitute the major portion of the males, while the blushing brides are mostly young New Zealand girls, with a sprinkling of English girls who have eome out to be married in New Zealand, and about the customary percentage of elderly folk who drop into the ranks of the wedded either for the first, second or some other time. It is so noticeable that (among these brides and bridegrooms the marriage age is well below what it has stood at in the past for a lengthy period. In 1914 it was estimated that the mean marrying age for men in New Zealand was 29.95 years, and for women 26.39 years. The observations of the Auckland Registrar show that in the past" years the averages have been well under these ages. Youth is the natural time for marrying and giving in marriage, and as youthful marriages may be naturally looked upon to produce larger families this is a factor in the present marrying boom which should give infinite satisfaction to the economist and statistician.

. COMPORT FOR THE NERVOUS. To those who arc thirsting to be wed but tremble at the thought of the ceremonious ordeal, it should be conx>rting to know that getting married is the simplest matter in the world if one really wishes it to be so- The performance is not one in which the male has much voice, but if sweet simplicity is also dear to the lady's heart the whole matter can be disposed of in rather less #ian'half an hour from the time the mind is really screwed up to it. The registrar of marriages will solemnise them between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on a declaration that the two contracting parties: have resided in the district for three days prior to the marriage. It not infrequently happens that a couple will stroll in to the office a few minutes before four and announce theirdesire to be mad* man and wife. If there are nn complications the request may be complied with there and then and'the twain leave as one in a matter nf minutes, That is when the field, so to sfeak, is clear. There are, of. course, occasions when discreet inquiries disclose reasons for an interval before the ceremony. But barring obstacles the process of getting "hitched" together for life may be fixed up joyfully quick for the people who shrink from the ordinary wedding bell ceremony.-—Auckland Star.

STRANGE HOMECOMINGS. FAMILY PUED REVIVED. . Wellington, Tuesday. The strangest of homecomings and welcomes awaited a soldier named Alfred Henry Welsford and his English bride when they stepped off the troopship at Wellington on July 27, judging by the statements made at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon, when his mother, Alice Louisa Welsfora, proceeded against him, his brother, Clarence Horace Welsford, and his father, Henry Robert Welsford, on an information alleging assault.

Mr. O'Leary, who appeared for the complainant, said that the husband and wife had been living apart for some years. When the son returned from the front his father and mother and other members of the family went down to the boat to meet him. Apparently there was some discussion as to with whom the soldier and his wife should go, but eventually all left the wharf by the same ear. and drove as far as Taranaki street. Apparently the father had entered into an understanding with the others to get rid of his wife, for when the car stopped near an hotel he said •that all were getting out. His wife had stepped to the step of the car when :the taxi made off with the wife holding on to the side. The taxi driver, said counsel, must have been aware of what had oeeurrod, but he did not pull up. The sons eudbavored to force their mother to let go her hold by thumping and pinching her arms and bending her fingers back 1 . Eventuality she let go after being dragged some distance, and received painful injuries from the fall. "It was a most unseemly performance," concluded the counsel. "At leaSt they might have saved their quarrel till the house was reached."

The complainant, giving evidence, said that her husband had endeavored to prevent her from entering the car by violence at the wharf, but had not laid hands on her afterwards, though at the Terminus Hotel he urged the sons to "throw her off." She had not yet recovered from the injuries to her arm and hip, caused by blows and the fall from the car, which had rendered her up.jonscious for some time.

Mr. P. W. Jackson, for the defendants, said that he proposed to show that the whole affair arose through the complainant's insistence on getting into the ear, which was improper, as it had been engaged by the husband. He admitted there had been a ruse to get rid of complainant. Complainant had actual! alighted from the car, but persisted in holding on and running alongside. However, she was not a young woman, and naturally she had to let go, and, unfortunately, fell. It was contended that any injuries conrplainant suffered resulted from her persistence in holdin" on to the car. °

The husband, on oath, denied havin» assaulted his wife on the wharf, though as both lie and she endeavored to wet into the car at the same time, he elbowed her just as she did him. Witness said he had been well aware that a 'scene" would be likely to occur at the wharf, but he was not to be frightened out of going to the ,wharf. The magistrate entered a csavictlon against all three defendants an« ordered Unn to pay tlw ««tts of the proceedings.