REST ROOM

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXV, Issue 12142, 2 October 1936, Page 2

REST ROOM

VIEWS OF WOMEN’S REPRESENTATIVE COMMITTEE

At the last meeting of the Women’s Representative Committee held in the Borough Council Chambers, it was decided that in future reports of the meetings be published, as much of the work done by the Committee is unknown to the public, to whom it is of interest. It was further decided that a contradiction be made to a statement which had been made in regard to one of the proposed Rest Room sites. The statement referred to was the one that this committee turned down a proposal of the site being at the hack of the Town Hall. This site had never been offered, and moreover the Committee ha record of a letter dated August 26th, 1935, to the Town Clerk, saying that if it was impossible to get the Herries Park site, could an alternative site be obtained at the hack of the Town Hall. Not having received a satisfactory answer to this letter, in November, 1935, a deputation waited on the Borough Council asking them if they would consider purchasing the Foresters’ Hall at £6OO as a site for the Rest Room. The Council replied, that a decision had been reached to build at the hack of the Plunket Rooms.

The necessity of having a Rest Room for the use of Maori women has been the concern of the Committee for some considerable time, and after making various representations the following letter dated August 20, 1936, has been received from the Under Secretary tor the Minister of Native Affairs; —“With reference to your letter of 29th June to the Right Hon. the Native Minister, I have to advise that it has been decided to make the Maori Hostelry at Tauranga available as a Rest Room for Maori women as soon as certain necessary alterations have been carried out by the Public Works Department. The Clerk of the Court, Tauranga, supervises the Hostelry on behalf of this Department, and detailed arrangements will be left In his hands.’’ A later development was that a site was offered on Herries Park and accepted by the Committee. Following this a ratepayer from the South end of the Borough waited on this Committee and expressed personal objections to the site chosen for the Ladies’ Rest Room, and suggested a site in Devonport Road which might be available. When this question was brought forward later in the meeting, the Committee unanimously agreed that as the question of site had been decided on, and as there was not sufficient proof that the Devonport Road site would be available or suitable, that no action be taken, but that the Secretary be instructed to write asking the Borough Council to keep faith with the Committee re site as it believed there was a petition being circulated protesting against the Herries Park site.

The Secretary was also instructed to write to the Minister of Railways explaining the position, and it was decided that a deputation from the Women’s Representative Committee wait on the Minister of Railways or his deputy should he visit Tauranga in regard to this matter.