A Women’s Page Creates Problems for Editors By JOAN MACKIE Ever since I heard that the IWA convention ordered the Lumber Worker to publish a Women’s Page, I’ve been wondering how the boys would manage. The other day, I asked them. They said: “Terribly”. “How do we know what women want to read?” I said: “Who does?” “Maybe you're right”, they replied, “we’ve asked every house- wife we know and each one has a different opinion. Now we're really confused. They’d have hysterics if we ran recipes and fashion notes with patterns thrown in. Every news stand would have us beat from the start. What’s the matter with you yourself putting a few ideas down on paper?” I tried to explain that I’ve three kids to look after, and that any- way I’ve had neither the time nor ambition to write since I left high school, They talked me into it on the basis that, perhaps, if I made a try, other IWA wives would pitch in and make this page a little folksy. Now I’m stuck with it and may the other gals have mercy on my soul. Working Wives Don't Want Flapdoodle I go along with the thinking that it would be foolish to print recipes. Not many of us have any time to tinker with fancy new dishes. And anyway, my old man and the kids turn up their noses if I spring anything new. Joe would have a fit if he found anything different than peanut butter, bologna, etc., in his lunch box. For all the plain sewing I do, 1 can get advice from friend Mabel, who was trained as a garment maker, and knows my angles, or should I say outsize-curves. What’s more, “fashions” is a bad word in our household, with this everlasting scramble to make ends meet. My thirteen-year-old daughter knows all that’s to be known about what is or is not fashionable anyway. You ought to hear her. I say, write what comes naturally in our lives. In one respect working wives are no different than their husbands. They want tips that actually help them with their jobs. The day dreamers can have their movie magazines. Most of us want to be smart homemakers and I mean smart in stretching that old wage dollar. And don’t make it heavy and dull. I agree with the woman writer who said that trade unionists are too, too dull, especially when talking about themselves. Most IWA wives read the Lumber Worker only in odd minutes and those odd minutes are jammed in between some mighty weary- ing chores. When I have one ear cocked for junior’s wails, my reading has to be easy to take. Maybe, I'll get new glasses when Joe gets a raise. The Family Budget the Big, Big Problem I've found that there’s a lot of good information about buying for the home that never reaches wives through the newspapers and, the magazines. It would never pay the dailies to tell the truth about a Jot of the stuff they advertise. I've been nursing this idea since I went with a friend to help buy a portable typewriter for her boy. By the time a few salesmen worked on her, she was hopelessly dithering between a dozen dif- ferent makes and models. At one shop, the salesman pulled a small book from under the counter and said, “I’m not supposed to show you this. It might get me into trouble with other firms, but this book tells the score on different makes”. It was the “Consumers’ Almanac” published by a non-profit con- sumers’ organization that tests articles as they come on the market and rates their values for practical use in the home. at fifty cents. This Shoppers’ Guide Will Save You Money BY THE EDITORS At the suggestion of Mrs. Mackie, our guest editor for this issue, we report on “Consumers? Almanac”. It is a 400-page volume published annually by Consumers’ Union Inc. of the United States at a cost of $1.45. The annual issue is supplemented monthly by “Consumer Reports”, sold Our information is that Consumers’ Union is supported by 900,000 members, subscribers, and newstand buyers. The revenue secured last year was $3,800,000. Not any portion of this income goes to stockholders, for there are none, All funds received are used for running the organiza- It made a hit with me. I bought one when I found it tucked away on the shelves of a Pender Street news stand. They are never dis- played. Now I look up the ratings on anything that I want to buy that spells money, to be sure I get value for my money. Even Joe uses it when he wants new tools for his pet hobby. My friend bought her portable typewriter on the basis of the rating in the Almanac, and got a machine that has stood up to the rough usage of a young student learning to type. In the last few weeks, Joe and I have been talking about splurging on a new washer-dryer combination. It surprised us how much we should know before we expose ourselves to a fast-talking salesman. The little book tells the results of practical tests which show up the good and bad points of every well-known model. Even a friend of mine who has the hi-fi bug, has been around for advice from this little handy buying guide. Almost everything is included from toys to fancy brands of booze. We Can't Trust To-day’s Flashy Advertising I’m rambling along to make one point. Most of us are victims of the advertising experts. They peddle enough malarkey over TV and in the papers to send us broke for sure. The dailies are controlled pretty much by the big advertisers. The Union paper can thumb its nose at any advertiser. It makes sense to me that the Union paper should help families to beat the advertising racket. I find now that there are at least two big consumers’ organizations specializing in tests on products in- tended for our homes. They are free to say what is bad and what is good. Why not let us know about those items that crowd our family budgets. This is one spot in home planning where men are as good as women, if they put their minds to the job. Every man is a bit of a mechanic. At least he can tell whether a mechanical test on any- thing, a fabric, a detergent, or a home appliance was efficiently carried out. That’s my big idea for this week’s scribbling. How To Pick Your Mate A prominent medical columnist has advised women to select healthy mates who are lean, sensible, even- tempered, inclined to moderation and who had long-lived ancestors. Dr. Theodore R. Van Dellen, medical editor of the Chicago Tri- bune, admitted that “this type of husband is difficult to pick out”. Medical Plan Hit By U.S. Doctors CHICAGO—The house of dele- gates of the American Medical As- sociation shouted its opposition to President Kennedy’s medicare plan. tion and engineering tests on the most economical basis possible. Consumers’ Union accepts no gifts, donations, or samples from any commercial interest. All products tested are bought at retail prices by the organization’s shoppers. Tests are conducted by C.U. only. Painted Teeth New Fad Painted faces are nothing new in Japan, the land of the geisha. Eye shadow and hair tint have become popular in recent years. Now it’s colored teeth. Teeth Manicure A clinic offering something called a teeth manicure has opened in downtown Tokyo. Customers, and there were some right from the start, were offered a choice of pink, blue, pearl or transparent. Dr. Sukeji Iino, 36, the man who ‘launched the dental beauty clinic, gave the explanation: “Pearl and transparent are for painting all the teeth. Pink or blue are for only the dog teeth at the corner of the smile, just to give an accent. Pink For Girls “The blue accent may be suitable for women working in. bars or cab- arets and pink for girls or young women under 25. “If-customers desire to get their teeth painted pink or any other -colors, I'm prepared to meet their demands. Any color can be made.” Materials are made up of two kinds of oily chemicals and sodium fluoride plus coloring matters, Iino said. A normal course consists of scaling to clear the teeth, gum clean- ing and then the application of the color. The cost depends on how long the customer wants the color to last. If one week is set as the desired period, the price is 3,500 yen ($9.72). The cost for 15-20 days is 3,900 yen ($10.83) and for three months 4,900 yen ($13.61). A normal treatment re- quires an hour or so. Little Strange “Colored teeth may at first look a little strange,” Iino said, “but if my business becomes popular, they won’t stand out and may look very normal.” é It left it up to the conscience of individual doctors whether they should participate in the program if it becomes law. There was not a word of opposi- tion as the AMA’s policy - making body approved a resolution con- demning the administration - backed King-Anderson bill which would fin- ance medical care of the elderly through the social security system. In resolutions approved the dele- gates asked auto manufacturers to make seat belts standard equipment, and refused to recognize abdominal surgery as a specialty. af CANADIAN Store your valuables in a... SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX This way you know where your important papers are. Why not call in and arrange for one . . . now! IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE MORE THAN 1260 BRANCHES TO SERVE YOU The following are the newly elec- ted officers of the Ladies Auxiliary of Local 1-217, IWA: President, Pat McKibbon; Vice- President, Irene McBride; Financial Secretary, Mary Reinhart; Record- ing Secretary, Marie Rasmussen; 1-217 Ladies’ Auxiliary Elects New Officers Warden, Lorraine Vroon; Conduc- tor, Georgina Puff; 3rd Year Trus- tee, S. Pither; 2nd Year Trustee, S. Clair; 1st Year Trustee, M. Kamm; Social Convener, S. Clair; Publicity Chairman, S. Clair. On The Lighter Side Often, girls marry men who remind them of their fathers, which may ex- plain all the crying of their mothers. * —Globe, Atchison, Kansas * The official yell of the School of Experience is “Ouch!” —Times, Crisfield, Md. To get attention, lower your yoice. The group whispering in the corner is much more intriguing than that little knot of persons arguing loudly in the centre of the room. Too, a lowered voice is much more persuasive. Few sales ever were made by desk pounding, and few girls ever said “Yes” to a high-decibel plea. a —Standard, Carl Junction, Mo. * There's little that makes a husband forget a passing fancy like something fancier. * —Courier, Gering, Nebr. * A nice thing about children is that they don’t carry snapshots of their children in their pockets. *x —News, Selbyville, Del. * Once a man who kissed a girl was told he was a cad; now he’s just keeping up his end of the conversation. me —Citizen, Colchester, Conn. * You're dated if the design tattooed on your husband’s chest is that of a battleship. * —Outlook, Lawrence, Kansas = A pedestrian is a person walking or lying in the street, whichever comes