NATIONAL COUNCIL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 202, 27 August 1935, Page 10

NATIONAL COUNCIL.

DOMINION CONFERENCE REMITS. The main business at the monthly meeting of the Auckland branch of the National Council of Women was the dealing with remits to be submitted at the Dominion conference to be held this year. There was a good attendance of members and the president, Miss B. Carnaclian, presided. Concerning educational matters a remit was passed requesting the Government be asked to repeal the legislation dealing with the dismissal of married women teachers as being an unfair attack upon one section of the community. Another stated that on general educational and social grounds legislation excluding five-year-old children should be repealed. There were a large number of remits concerning social matters. One urged that the general public be excluded from the magistrates' courts during the hearing of separation, maintenance and affiliation cases, and that only friends desired by the parties, recognised social workers, members of the legal profession and the Press be admitted. Another asked that police women be appointed with the same powers as policemen. The principle of equal pay for equal work of men and women was also discussed. A remit advocating that the Government be asked to consider the introduction of a compulsory, contributory national provident scheme to enable contributors on attaining the age of 00 to retire on an adequate pension was passed. The Family Allowance Act was referred to in a remit which suggested that the Government should be urged to use the existing machinery of the Act to facilitate provision of maintenance allowances for all children of the family and for the mother to act as keeper of the home .and family wherever tlio family wage-earner's capacity was inadequate for the needs of that family and its mother. The remit also asked that such allowances be payable to the mother of the family. It was also decided that resident medical officers, to act in tht capacity of anaesthetists, should be appointed to all St. Helens Hospitals. Remits dealing with unemployment included a request that all domestic women workers pay the unemployment tax , and that unemployment relief be available to all citizens irrespective of sex. Another remit asked that in assessing the unemployment tax, the Government should exempt all income up to £.">() earned and unearned. Among other business was a request received from the recently-formed League of Health of New Zealand Youth asking that the council.should co-operate with the league and send a representative to its meetings. This met with agreement.