Although girls generally have not succeeded as aviators, there are some brilliant exceptions. Eight of them, headed by Miss Pauline Gower, daughter of Sir Robert Gower, who was the first woman to hold an A and B flying licence, and at one time was doing stunts in an air circus, have been appointed to fly new R. A. F. training aircraft from factory to aerodrome. Each girl must have done 200 hours' flying and have passed an R. A. F. test in one of the new training machines. She Will of course have to be ready to fy in all weathers.
But if most girls cannot fly aeroplanes, they can help make them. Descriptions have recently been published of the high speed work that is being done in our aircraft factories, and they all dwell on the number of girls who are taking part—sirls who a few weeks ago were manicurists, typists, nursemaids or waitresses.
It may be that there are details in the making of an aeroplane which girls can do better than men. Otherwise their employment, when unfortunately there are so many men, including metal-workers, out of work, is likely to cause a good deal of jealousy. One of the railways, Let me end. on a more cheerful note. The new Lord Mayor of Bir-bingham has lately received a letter from a young man who wanted to buy a certain paving stone because a certain young lady had stood on it when she did him the honour of consenting to be his wife.
The Lord Mayor replied rather ungallantly that 20 years hence he might take a different view of the stone. But the young man was quite sure of himself, So the stone was taken up and delivered to him, with a pretty note (the Lord Mayor's manners were improving) expressing the hope that it would prove the foundation of many happy years.
All he was asked to pay was 10s. But after such a charming request Birmingham simply could not make a profit out of him.
RE
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.