WOMEN'S RESPONSIBILITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 219, 15 September 1932, Page 13

WOMEN'S RESPONSIBILITIES.

At the first dinner of the Auckland Business and Professional Women's Round Table Club, which was held in the Regent Tearooms last evening, Mr. F. S. Stevens gave a survey of world conditions. 'Tho president, Miss Helen Laing, introduced the speaker. The club was formed by Miss Jean Stevenson, national general secretary of the Y.W.C.A.; and its object is to give young business and professional women of the city the opportunity of listening to speakers-on current affairs, and so learu about matters which aifect both thencivic and national life. Mr. Stevens began by tracing the course of the present .world economic depression, commencing with the collapse of the economic system of Central Europe, which occurred when America ceased to lend money to Germany for the payment of the latter's reparations. The cause of the sudden cessation of lending in America was/the sudden flooding of the markets early in 1920 with tho goods which had been-made-, during the tremendous construction boom which occurred in

America in 1020, and continued through tho years until 192!), when the goods had to be sold at low prices. Other factors which had a bearing mi the world-wide depression were, said Mr. Stevens, tho enormous fall, in the birth rate during the war, followed by the phenomenal rise after the war and the prolific migration which also ensued after the war; also the lack of adjustment between the productive capacity of the population and its consumptive capacity. Tho way in which women could help to lift tho burden of the present depression was to develop a public spirit and shoulder the responsibilities of the rights they were asking. The home woman to-day was unintelligent about national affairs. She must remember that her capacity to maintain a decent standard of living within her home was dominated by tho condition of things in the country in which she lived, and it was, therefore, her duty to take an intelligent interest in the government and in the affairs of her country. At the close of the address Mr. Stevens spent a good deal of time in answering the many pertinent questions asked by members.