By

Thursday,

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

SOMERSET

see

IT IS strange to middle-aged women of de- termined aspect, the mothers of families, young ,women” evidently not long married with painted lips. and a permanent wave, tending an automatic machine in the crowded din of an armament works.

For thousands women are working in factories in France. In most of them, I think, the wife was offered the job of her mobilised husband.

of

Many of them had never worked in a factory before, but I was told by various directors that they got into the way of it very quick- ly. I was not surprised, for after what I have seen I am ready to be- lieve that the French woman can do anything she has a mind to.

But they have their homes to look after and their chil dren to care for. In some factories they work only two weeks out of three, in others they are given every third day off, in either case with full pay, so that they should not lose touch with what after all are their essential in-

terests and so that their children

should run as little chance as

possible of neglect.

華莊

fuse, they are better than men.

It is grim to see them so

neatly painting and varnishing

IT is grim to see this multi-the cases of big shells.

tude of women occupied in mak-

It is, grim to see them, rows

ing all manner of things to kill and rows of them, at a factory and maim the husbands and of explosives making the bas in brothers of other women. In which powder is to be poured, some work, the delicate andjand, when they are filled, tying accurate work, for instance, them up into neat parcels or that has to be put into making a packing them into metal cylin-

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* By LARS MORRIS

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The

February 29, 1940.

MAUGHAM

moment. There are many and it is heartening to know who have set themselves, that the response has been great. The books are sorted alone and obscure, to al-and sent to the front to give a leviate the distress, financial soldier a few hours of happy and moral, of their neigh-haps, some new thought to pon- forgetfulness, to give him, per- bours.

der over and to bring into his monotonous life a little romance The Red Cross has found-or a little laughter. ed 150 auxiliary hospitals,

I said just now that I believed with nearly 20,000 beds, and could not do if they had a mind there was little French women has placed thousands of to. Here is a little story which adequately trained nurses at for a success novel.

might well serve as the theme the disposal of the authori

ties.

There is a factory where hot only most of the employees, but also the owner, were young; L'Union des Femmes de they were called up and the fac France sends parcels to the sol-

tory closeti down. But the diers and has enrolled a host only as Mademoiselle B., could owner's secretary, whom I know of women and girls to make not beur to think that these busy jumpers, socks and scarves works should stay idle and its for the soldiers, but besides many women employees thrown this, it has embarked upon out of a job; so with feminine two undertakings, one of astuteness she pulled all the

which shows,

strings she could to get the fac to my tory requisitioned by the State, mind, A touching by which means work for Na- thoughtfulness and of tional Defence could be secured. which the other pecu- liarty interests me વ ♫ professional writer.

*

* *.

MEN on leave,

or transferred

, another,

She was thus able to keep her women workers and because what the factory produces is of essential service, get such men as are necessary. The machines were set going again, and soon work was in full swing. ✡

*..*

MADEMOISELLE B. is evi- from one post to dently a young woman of deter- often mination, for during the lun- arrive at a sta-cheon hour, lunch being served. tion where at a canteen, she has set the

women to knit scarves, they have to:

and swenters of the employees socks spend

of the factory who are mobilised. There is a fund to which each worker contributes a few your so that little luxuries may be added to the parcels.

Woman's

Part In

The War

---There are many more who have given their money and their time to the numerous associations that have been instituted to cope with the manifold difficulties of the

INDIAN TROOPS

Calro, Feb. 28.

With artillery booming. Indian troops went into action in the desert to-day in a series of exercises which will last a month. The defending established ita feld head- under date palins in the of Memphis and Bren guns and feld pieces were camouflaged with palm branches,

forco quarters ruing

the

While.

motorised enemy columns trying to destroy the canals and bridges of the Nile Valley ad- vanced from the western desert, Jats, Rajputs. Punjabis and Hazarawals, cunningly hidden in the sandy sandy gullies, guarded a 15-mile front. They had to wait the whole night watching with telescopes and wait- ing for the enemy in a slience broken only by the occasional howl of n jackal. One Indian was posted with a telephone at the summit of a pyramid.

entered

'The Indions thoroughly into the spirit of the exercises, which they trented as the rent thing.

Tho British, New Zealand and Egyptian armies

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the best, part of the night be fore the train starts. They

are

tired and hungry, maybe wel Through, and they have perhaps little money in their pockets. L'Union des Femmes de France of

fers them shelter.

Mademoiselle B. must be a per- son of intelligence, energy and initiative; and of course the end of the story should be orange blossom and marriage bells; but whether she should

marry the owner of the factory or a young Hon of toll who has returned

from the front with the Croix de Guerre the reader must decide

for himself.

There

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are vast numbers of women in France who are quictly f doing obscure and humble tasks of which no one will ever hear.

There was

baker who made i

bread for the whole district and his A woman wife with her handcart delivered opens the it in the surrounding hamlets. door and in-l He was called up, and since he vites the was the only baker in the neigh- bourhood it would have been a poor sol- weary dier to come bad left behind had not set to work look out for everyone if the wife he in. He finds to make and bake the bread herself # warm at night and deliver it as usual by

with day.

room

try.

beds in it, rugs to cover him and I And so everywhere the women of hot coffee. There are paper and France, with wonderful patience, pencils on a table so that he can with their sense of affairs and with and the fact that in one stationtaining the prosperity of the coun- write to his family or his girl, fortitude, are in a large part main- alone from 250 to 300 letters are written every night shows that he is glad of the oppor-] IN rural districts they are Lunity.

looking after the horses and Next door is a lavatory where cattle that have not been re- he can wash his feet and put on (quisitioned and getting the

a clean pair of socks; his own fruitful soil ready for next har-

aire

are also carrying are washed and monded and jvest; in the towns exercises, arid large

they manoeuvres involving the combined

passed on to another man. He keeping the shops open and run- armies are likely to be staged. gets a good sleep and a kindly ning their men's business,

woman wakes him when his

Womon are taking over the prac-

The friendliness of the troops of train is due. He leaves rested tice of the doctors who have been different pationalitiesa strikingly demonstrates the Empire solidarity. not only in body but in spirit.

Tho New Zealanders are mixing with the Indians and all are wel- comed by the Egyptians in the Cairo

**

mobilised. In the schools women tenchera have taken over the work of men teachers and uncomplain- bazaars. The Dominion troops-salute soldier has had to stand the trifling observation I-havo made

FOR months now the Frenchingly added it to their own.

I will finlah my article with one the Indian officers with enthusiasm. hardest possible trial to one of which

A half hour programme of Indian his ardent temper-he has had curious. musle is broadcast every night from to wait; and his spirit craving

900ms

to

somewhat mo

Since the beginning of the war

Calro for the benellt of the troops for occupation demands reading the hair of many of the women encamped. In the desert. A special

club for Indian troops will be fnau- matter.

gurated τη Murch 4 usder the presidency of Lady Lampson- Router.

L'Union dca Femmes

France has been growing rapidly darker at the roots.

do Whother this is due to the an”). France issued an appeal for this xfety natural to the circumstancos

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or to some more obscure cause, am not compatent to many.

I will, however, hazard the surmise that if the war continues much longer there will bo few blondes in Franco for gentlemen to profer.

PROJEM SAB43.

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