"EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT."

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1930, Page 8

"EFFECT OF ENVIRONMENT."

IMMEDIATE REMEDY WANTED • AUCKLAND WOMEN'S OPINIONS.

■ Opinions expressed by Auckland women prominent in public affairs and social work are definite in stating that, if there is,foundation for the allegations made by Mrs.' Phillips, an immediate remedy is required. > "We are fully alive to the fact that there is a good deal of drinking by women arid, girls going, on, and we are doing our best to combat the evil," said Miss Jean Begg, general secretary of the Y.W.C.A., when asked to express an opinion.' She did not think the drinking, habit was so prevalent as Mrs. Phillips suggested, nor'did she think that there were signs its decrease. She was convinced that the average young woman did not vyant tlie drinking life, and the best .thing was to provide young women with an environment where they could improve. themselves. She claimed. that that environment , was provided by the Y.W.G.A. which, in the best interests of young women,- should be given every possible, support. "If the public are apathe- ( tic and condone drinking among women, things will go from bad'to worse," said . Miss Begg,. "but if public opinion is against it, then there will be an uplifting tendency. The ;real danger is that a habit, once developed, is hard to break . : from." , '' ■ ■

Work for yTomen.Police. •Miss Blanche Carnachan, president of the Auckland branch of the National Council of Women, said that if such conditions exist it was certainly time / something was done. To her knowledge Mr. T. M. Wilford, when he was Minister of Justice, was approached' some time ago and he promised to investigate the matter. Also, there was a society ?. in Wellington which had • written to her ■ and ; w£s much concerned about the evils of drinking among women,. This showed that there was a general feeling throughout the Dominion to remedy the state of affairs. If drinking went on in private homes, Miss Carnachan continued, it , was purely a .-personal 'matter, but ii 4 it became public, jurisdiction should ceitainly be exercised and a police woman could do very fine work in this direction. The only way to really combat the diffi culty was to create a healthy public atmosphere about it. . "I have not personally seen much evidence of drinking to excess by women and girls," as I do riot frequent places where such conduct would ocqur," saia Miss Ellen Melville. "From time to time, however, I receive very definite information which I am afraid is authentic, that the practice is increasing. The obvious method of dealing with the trouble —other than the force -of public opinion—is that already adopted in most progressive countries— the appointment of women police with full powers. As regards the suggestion of the women's institutes that women and girls should be prohibited from ' drinking intoxicating liquors in public, places, there should not be one law for men and another for women.

Thoroughfares and Reserves. • "Whether the habit of drinking intoxicating liquor is increasing among youn° r women is a matter upon, which i cannot speak so definitely as social workers," said Miss Alice I know it is exceedingly prevalent, hut 1 do. not think, it obtains to the same extent as three or four years ago. I regret the resolution carried conhnes itself to the prohibition from drinking intoxicating, liquor in public places,Jor, "us a "public vWoman, I know that the time. has arrived, when local'bodies : throughout the Dominion must: tackle the position as it obtains to-day in regard to

the thoroughfares, and reserves uridei their control. No member of a local body is ignorant of what is going on. and we must face up to it. Very serious, too, is the fact that local authorities have not absolute control over beaches. Actions in this direction, however, arc only deterrents and not preventives. The remedy is with the young people themselves, but how to get :home, to them is the problem." • Major Gordon, of the Salvation Army, said that she could not make such a sweeping statement as to say that girls were drunk on the beaches. She went about a great deal, and had never seen drink on beaches. There was certainly a tremendous amount of drinking among the young womanhood and manhood of the town, and she herself had handled "iris as young as 15 years who were the worse for drink. It was not "fair to put the blame entirely oil the girls, and said that the "hip-pocket" young escort had a great deal to do with it. The whole state of affairs was the outcome of the standard of living. The young people were "mad for pleasure."