WOMEN AND POLITCS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 134, 8 June 1926, Page 15

WOMEN AND POLITCS.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —From my long association with Labour," and leit some should be led astray, it is necessary for mc to reply to Mrs." Moore's indictment of mc. _ My letter to New Zealand women, which is termed specious, I believed to be quite frank and above board. Let mc assure Mrs. Moore that not only one woman might be found with' those requisite qualities to. represent women in Parliament, but dozens that could represent feminine and international interests. I quite agree that the New Zealand Labour party does not try to dictate about progress; why should they when they have no progress? The Labour party's platform in New Zealand is simply obsolete. Why they should cling to such planks as proportional representation and endowment of motherhood is hard to explain, except that the whole party is suffering from trades unionitis, a virulent disease. Not broader, but narrower than any other party, they are penned in by a catalogue of rules and restrictions. * Mrs. Moore's assertion that "no woman need strangle her convictions- by being tied to the Labour party" is absolutely wrong. Of course, there are women with no convictions to strangle —perhaps the ladies of the New Zealand party are not troubled with convictions. Leme assure Mrs. Moore that few sane women would tolerate the stuffiness of the Labour party prooramme or their multitude of penalties and rules. I may add frankly that from experience of Labour parties and social work in other parts of the Empire that the insulting attitude of the New Zealand party towards what they call the ,c bourgeoisie" or educated people, would disgust any woman with decent convictions. Mrs. Moore accuses mc of pitting women against men. A woman by her work, instincts and knowledge is particularly suited to deal with certain branches of social work, which will benefit all humanity. Who but a woman could know how to" improve home conditions? I do not think- that the women in other countries who have effected great social reforms have been considered by men to pit themselves against men; but they have been acknowledged as equal in 'intelligence and specially adapted to deal with some phases of social life.—l am. etc., RUBY E. WATSON. -St. Helier'e.