American Journalist’s Article On Miss Howard

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30511, 5 August 1964, Page 12

American Journalist’s Article On Miss Howard

Among the United States journalists who visited Christchurch earlier this year was Betty Penson, women’s editor of the “Idaho Daily Statesman.” At a mayoral reception she met Miss M. B. Howard, M.P. Here, uncorrected on facts, is the story headed “Lady Politico in New Zealand” that appeared in the Idaho newspaper:—

"Politics is not a very rewarding life for a woman,” she said. “Sometimes I’m sorry I spent my life in it.”

The small, rounded woman in a black dress and widebrimmed black hat had approached me at a tea given in the council rooms of Mayor George Manning of Christchurch. “You can do a tremendous lot for people,” she went on. “You can heal the hurts in their minds. But you can’t make any money at it.”

I wasn’t able to answer. All I could see was the flat brim of her hat and the agonisingly pointed toes of her British shoes. You just can’t talk at a hat.

Then she tipped up the hatbrim and pierced me with a pair of round eyes. She had red hair. She was a determined little woman, shaped like a top and obviously spinning hard all the time. Turning away from those bright eyes, I looked at a picture of the Christchurch city council members taken in the 1930’5. “Pardon me,” I said, “but I didn’t get your name.”

“You’re looking at it,” she said flatly. Yes, among the staring ovals of the old-fashioned

montage was one woman. She had round eyes and braids around her head. M. H. Howard, according to the nameplate underneath. Commissioner of Abbatoirs.

“Oh,” I asked, rather lamely, “you are the commissioner of ...?”

“No,” her words cracked out like little bullets. “I was New Zealand’s first woman cabinet minister. I have been 21 years in parliament. I have the highest majority of any labour seat in New Zealand.” She had started out as a trade union secretary, she went on. But she has concentrated on women’s and children’s health problems. “My record is mainly that,” she said. She is a former minister of health. New Zealand has the world’s lowest infant mortality rate, which she attributes to their system of hospital control through the health department.

“It was all started at St. Helen’s hospital as a memorial by the wife of a prime minister. Everything possible is done in hospitals to eliminate anything going wrong with birth,” she explained. “Now this is combined with our welfare service. From the moment of conception until

four months after birth, the mother has the services of a marvellous system of nurses.” For the first six weeks of a child’s life, a nurse comes to the home for regular visits. For the next 10 weeks, the mother takes the child to visit the nurse. Most New Zealand women are members of at least three women’s clubs, according to Mabel Howard.

“Every hospital has its Friends society,” she said “They keep people as happy as possible when they’re sick.

“Then there’s the Nursemore Association which tends people in their homes. The Red Cross is very strong here, Wheels on Meals, a Red Cross adjunct takes a hot meal once a day from the hospital to the convalescent who lives alone. This is to make sure they get one balanced meal a day.” She is proud of her country for the tremendous amount of community work done by the women’s clubs.

Among these, she said, are the Victoria League, which greets visitors and newcomers and arranges welcoming functions for them; the Business and Professional Women’s Clubs; the Canterbury Women’s Institute which brings women together on field days to learn about cooking, occupational therapy, etc.: the women’s divisions of the farmers’ unions, and the mothers who work with the Girl Guides and the Boy Scouts.

“We even have junior national parties and junior labour parties,” she said proudly. She believes New . Zealanders are not as healthy as they used to be. She hints that some of this is an American influence, a tendency to copy the lazy attitude of “you people up there.”

“New Zealand women have big feet because they do a lot of walking,” she said. “Any time women’s feet start to get small, then you will have a nation in health trouble.”

In her youth, she said, she used to be thrilled at the sight of the main Christchurch square at 5 p.m. when it was filled with bicycles. Just like Amsterdam. “But now those thousands of bikes have disappeared,” she lamented. “Now everybody’s got some kind of jalopy. They’re all old. The new ones are too expensive for us.” Mabel Howard wonders how much money she could have made if she had lived in the United States and applied to business all the years of effort she has given in service of her government. But, she reassures you, it is only a sort of, mental exercise, not wishful thinking.

She can retire on £lOOO a year (about 3000 dollars) at the end of her time. Life would be easier if she were to retire, for she would no longer have to make the many trips from her home in Christchurch to the capital in Wellington. “But a lot of people who retire soon die,” she said. “Or rot.”

“My father served 20 years in parliament. He died in office. I hope I do too. I would rather die in harness.”