SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17409, 21 March 1922, Page 2

SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

MEETING OF WOMEN. A well-attended meeting of women, in oonnexion with the Congregational Union of New Zealand, was held in Trinity Church yesterday afternoon. Mrs Wry presided, and addresses were given by Mesdames. Henderson Begg and Roberts.

Some very interesting facts were presented by Sirs Begg in the course of * recital of personal experiences as a police-woman in London and other parts of England. Among other things, she told how the women members of the force met the train of munition workers at Gretna, on the outskirts of Carlisle, where 12,000 female workers were engaged in a cordite factory covering an area of ten miles square. Theso girfe had to change into work garments, and were then searched, as not a scrap or metal—not so much as the tag of a .bootlace—must go* into the worka or an explosion might follow. The very fumes lingering about the garments caused the officials to-faint until they became accustomed to them. Mrs Begg made a strong appeal for education on sex matters, as so many girls were not "brought up" but just "grew up." In stressing the need for women officers in police courts, she saw when a young/ child was the subject of a criminal assault, it was quite a wrong method to question her as to details; that procedure impressed ugly facta indelibly on her mind. A tactful woman would know how to elicit the truth or the case without direct questioning. Women in New Zealand had a political weapon in their hands to amend such a state of affairs, and she urged them to uso it. Another novel point—novel to moat in that it had not been presented to them in that light— : was the point or view, of women on juries. In the case of ft child under the age of consent giving birth to an infant after a criminal assault, a girl of, say, 14 would mature greatly, and in the interval of months between the case reaching the Supremo Court, a jury of men would not thmk of such a point, and when the acchsed pleaded his ignorance .of the girl's youthfu&ess, the jury, looking at the girl, would accept his plea because of her increased maturity in appearance. Mrs Begg referred to many aspects of the work of police-women, tfiie visiting of homes, street patrol, etc. She also explained the "education" of a policewoman, and urged the. necessity of a recognised', organisation for preventive work; The motto of the force was "Prevent and%lo; punish." I '■ Mrs Roberts spoke upon "Social Hygiene and Racial Purity." After sketching the rise and progress of the Society in Christchurch, she made an earnest plea for the education of the yftung in matters of sex. She pleaded with, the mothers not to let timidity keep them from instructing their children j- not to%take up. the attitude of assuming that ignoranqe was She quoted with great earnestness aj poem of John Oxenham's, "The word that was not said," and begged them? by a mutual understanding, to bind their children to Hheni by bonds of love,; and not to allow walls of restraint to grow up because of spurious modesty.' She concluded by sketching outline; future programme-of the Society alone the lines of legislation in, connexion with notification and treatment of venerea! diseases/ and educative work amongst; parents by means of lectures in the; schools under the auspices of the Educori twn Department. ■ . ; :l