Warm Election Campaign

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32029, 2 July 1969, Page 3

Warm Election Campaign

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, July 1. Young as it is, the Women’s Independent Party may be able to show its more experienced male opponents how to bring back crowds to political meetings.

Last night, four candidates campaigned in the Henderson electorate. Instead of a cold hall and hard seats, they held the meeting in a coffee lounge complete with piped music,

coffee and cakes, and a hat parade afterwards. Each of the four women spoke for 10 minutes. The piped music was incidental but at times it proved an appropriate background. The candidate for Henderson, Mrs M. Simpkins, opened to Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass and her call for maintenance agreements to be registered in court was accompanied by “First You Say You Will, Then You Say You Won’t.”

The candidate for Tamaki, Mrs G. Thorpy, criticised the state of the matrimonial law to the tune of “Thanks for the Memory,” and called for the removal of family matters from the criminal courts while “The Third Man” played. Dr A. M. Finlay (Lab., Waitakere) “I Relish Being Here” —gave the male point of view to the accompaniment of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls.”

The voice of women should be heard more in politics and public life, he said. Dr Finlay promised opposition to the Consumers’ Information Bill.

Mrs Simpkins said it was unfortunate that there had been no strong drive from either men’s or women’s organisations to achieve a better social, economic and legal status for women or to see that women made their maxi-

mum contribution to the national economy. The candidate for Birkenhead, Mrs P. Beale said: “Give us a chance to show we can be equal to men in the House as we can be anywhere else in the country.”

Her contention. that the rights of parents to control and restrain their children up to the age of 18 was warmly greeted by the crowd of 40. Mrs E. James, for Auckland Central, advocated equality for women, as for men.