The Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children, more familiarly known as the Plunket Society, has removed the Plunket offices from the old post office buildings to two particularly nice rooms in Jamieson's buildings, Lower Stuart street.
The windows have a direct northerly aspect, and as the rooms are on the second floor the result is a situation that would be hard to improve upon.
Ventilation has received special attention under direct advice from Dr Truby King, and the furnishing is bright, and everything quite new.
The mothers' sitting room is large and very cosy, while the nurses' room has been provided with everything necessary to ensure the welfare of the little visitors.
Formerly the society had only one nurse in attendance at the offices for one hour each day, but in future two nurses will be in attendance every afternoon from 2 o'clock till 4.
It is hoped that mothers will avail themselves of the new rooms and increased attendance, and thus save the time of the nurses, it being possible to do so much at the rooms in comparison to what can be accomplished by visits to the homes.
The rooms can be reached by means of the lift, an attendant being always present.
Arrangements have been made with the lift attendant to take charge of perambulators at the bottom, thus providing a still further convenience to visitors.
The rooms were opened for the first time yesterday.
• Inquiries at the Women's branch of the Labour Department revealed that the demand for employees far exceed the call for employment.
Last month there were 119 inquiries for assistance, and only 39 requests for places.
There is a total disinclination to go into the country, even though country houses nowadays are replete with all modern conveniences.
One thing that has caused the depletion of female labour is the large number of girls who have gone to Wellington following lovers who have gone into camp.
These get situations in that city so as to be near the soldier they are interested in, and will stay there till he leaves.
The dearth of house servants at other centres is thus extremely accentuated.
A lady who has interested herself in obtaining employment for women lately interviewed a Sixth Standard class of girls in the city, and had found that not one among them intended to take up domestic service.
They were all to become bookkeepers, shorthand writers, and typists.
• There was a strange double misadventure on the premises of a Hawera home.
While the lady of the house was removing things from a clothes-line she stepped on the wooden cover of the dry section of a septic tank, and, as the boarding gave way, she fell down into the tank, which was about seven feet in depth.
As the lady is not tall, it was fortunate that she had in falling, clung to a sheet which happened to be in her hands, for it remained fluttering at the top of the tank, and this, with the lady's calls for help, attracted the notice of her little girl, who, unable to do anything personally, rushed out into the street, calling for assistance.
The first passer-by went to the rescue not knowing exactly what it was that was amiss, and he, too, dropped into the tank.
Fortunately, other citizens were soon attracted to the scene, and those in distress were duly rescued - the man slightly injured, and the lady more or less painfully bruised and suffering from shock to her nerves.
It would appear that the coverings of septic tanks should be carefully examined at regular intervals, for it is not long since a somewhat similar accident happened in Hawera. - ODT, 1.8.1916.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
