Mr A. M. Ferguson, of Auckland, who has just returned from England, points out that the increased employment of women in office work at Home has proved so satisfactory in general that it will only partly be displaced when the men return from the front.
Moreover, a large proportion of the men who have temporarily taken up military life have already become so accustomed to open-air conditions that they will be disinclined to return to the banks, commercial offices, and factories, and will be disposed to turn their attention to other fields.
For this reason he anticipates that they will turn their eyes to the wider spaces across the ocean and be disposed to enter into new enterprises, by which New Zealand amongst other countries may benefit.
■ Perennial flowers, probably the most extensively cultivated of all the decorative adjuncts to the public and private gardens of the city, are in the zenith of their form during the present month.
The casual visitor to the Botanic Gardens, now presenting a striking array of floral beauty, cannot fail to be attracted by the wealth of colour in the numerous beds of both perennials and annuals, which, under skilful management, have never displayed a more charming appearance.
A decided novelty at the northern approach is a bed containing varieties of the new collarette dahlia - flowers of a single character and of a splendid upright habit, features which make this plant specially suitable for garden decoration.
Two varieties of a strong nature, quite distinct from the usual type of flower, are ‘‘Tuscan,'' red, with white collar, and white-tipped petals, and ‘‘Balmoral,'' magenta, with white collar.
These wonderful flowers will be represented by choice specimens at the annual autumn show of the Dunedin Horticultural Society on February 23.
Although not so copious as in some seasons, the rainfall in the vicinity of Dunedin has been ample for the development of fine flowers, fruit, and vegetables, and the executive of the Horticultural Society is sparing no efforts to place before the public the best grown and most representative autumn flowers, together with all the seasonable fruits and vegetables.
■ The Tramways Committee, acting on instruction from the City Council, completed satisfactory arrangements to enable all returned soldiers to travel free on the tramways, as from Friday, December 24 last.
- ODT, 25.1.1916.
