NGAROMA VISITED.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 94, 22 April 1927, Page 5

NGAROMA VISITED.

BY WOMEN FROM HAMILTON.

"POSITION UNTENABLE."

LIMIT OF ENDURANCE REACHED.

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent-)

HAMILTON, this dav

In response to a rcquc.-t from the Women's League of Ngnroma, a party representing the Hamilton branch of the National Council of Women yesterday motored to the settlement with a view to learning something of the conditions of hie as they affect women nnd children. They met representative women of the settlement nnd henrd their statements of great financial losses and the conditions to which they had been reduced. These matters will be the subject of n report by the party to the next mooting of the local branch.

Members of the party are unanimously of the opinion that the position of the women and children is untenable. Tho women, who are clearly well educated, intelligent, and capable, are labouring under a sense of very groat injustice. They have worked hard under backblocks conditions at their verv worst, only to find alter years of toil that the position was hopciess from the beginning by reason of the land being cattle-sick. Tho conditions of those dwellingplaces tho party was nl>le to insjK-ct showed very conclusively that families had carried on to the last pitch of endurance before making an apjtcal. Reply to Mr. Reid. With regard to the statements made by Mr. Stewart Reid, M.1 , ., the party was informed that the settlors referred to as "satisfied" are possibly those single men with freeholds who li\e in the less affected part of the sick country, or men with pood lnnd in other districts to which stock can be transferred as soon ns it begins to show of failing. .Another class are those whose wives, having independent menus, are, with their families, able to make homes elsewhere. Character of Settlers, The party was grently impressed with the character of the women, and with the deplorable conditions They realised that the conditions in the" backblocks areas must necessarily Ik* harsher than those of the more accessible localities, but for the women of Ngnroma there appeared no hope. These women are not seeking charity, nor are they afraid of hard work. They have faced hardships in the past, but are convinced that it is useless to hope for any amelioration at Ngnromn. What the\ now ask is to lie transferred to n sphere where their labours are likely to produce an adequate return.