OCCASIONAL NOTE

The Intelligence Department of the Local Government Board has published a Report on the Welfare of the Children of Women employed in factories in France and Germany. In both of these countries, as in many others, the call for women to perform unaccustomed tasks directly arising out of the war produced an abnormal state of affairs. Measures which had been passed, prohibiting women from doing certain work, from working at night and for working overtime, had to be suspended. In the words of the Report “the claims of the future which had prompted these measures had to be sacrificed to the urgent needs of the moment.” But it has been considered desirable to make a careful investigation into the actual effects of these relaxations and into the measure of success that has attended the efforts made to mitigate the evils that were foreseen. The problem everywhere was to prevent children from suffering loss because their mothers were employed in public works. In Germany the measures taken by Government to provide for young children whose mothers were at work were largely supplemented by private effort; in some cases the fire insurance companies helped, on the ground that children left without care caused fires. The main result of the investigations is to show the wisdom of the regulation of female labour, especially of married women, and to indicate a tendency to make more generous provision, through insurance acts or in other ways, for married women who are compelled to undertake industrial work.

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CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY

A meeting of the Senate was held at the Senate House, College Square. The Hon. Sir Nilratan Sirvar, Vice-Chancellor, presided, and there was a large attendance of Fellows. The Registrar placed before the Senate a letter received from the Government of India, Department of Education inviting the opinion of the Senate on the subject of the proposed course and examination in agriculture, technology and commerce. The letter was referred to the committee appointed to deal with the report of the Calcutta University Commission. On the motion of Rai Bahadur Dr. U.N. Brahmochari, seconded by Dr. Srish Prosad Sarbhadhikari, it was resolved that hygene be included in the list of additional subjects for the matriculation examination.

THE EXCHANGE PROBLEM

BOMBAY, AUG 30

The financial correspondent of the Times of India says the sales in New York of telegraphic transfers on Calcutta will help to finance exports from India to the United States and to that extent make Councils sold in London available for other exports. It is believed that only American buyers of Indian produce will be able to take advantage of the New York sales as the fall in the cross rate between London and New York and the cost of sending money to New York will make the price of these Councils prohibitive to non-American buyers. The same correspondent states that the difference between the pound sterling and gold is getting more marked day by day. This is a matter for serious consideration in India as, at whatever rate exchange is finally fixed by Government.

RAILWAY TRAIN ROBBERY

A train robbery which was followed by a daring escape of the accused is reported to have been committed on Wednesday night in a women’s third class carriage of the 19 Up passenger train proceeding from Sealdah to Murshidabad. It is stated that the train had left Barrackpore Station when an upcountryman dressed in Bengali clothes got into the carriage from the offside and snatched a gold necklace from the neck of a passenger. The other occupants of the carriage raised an alarm which was heard by the male passengers in the adjacent carriages, and several of the latter made for the women’s carriage by walking along the footboard and arrested the robber as he was on the point of leaving the carriage. The train was running to Shamnagor Station when he hoodwinked his guards and jumped out of the running train. The alarm chain was pulled and the train pulled up, but the man had made good his escape.

SUIT AGAINST DARJEELING PHOTOGRAPHER

Mr. L. Burrows, Sub-Judge, has decided the suit filed by Mrs. Pestonji against Mr. Joly, photographer, claiming Rs 1,484 as the value of two negatives made over by the plaintiff to the defendant. The court passed a decree for Rs 365, including, costs, in favour of the plaintiff, on the basis of a compromise arrived at the court’s suggestion. One of the negatives was not returned to the plaintiff but was replaced, the defendant stating that it got accidentally broken, and the other was not returned intact, being, it was alleged, chemically reduced and completely spoilt. This was denied by the defendant