NATIONAL COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 284, 28 August 1935, Page 13

NATIONAL COUNCIL

Women Discuss Variety of Subjects

There was a good attendance at the monthly meeting of the Wellington branch of the National Council of Women, held on Monday evening. Pleasure was given at the announcement of a new affiliation, that of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Douglas Credit Association, with two representatives, Mrs. and Miss Graham; also of an extra representative of the Trained Nurses’ Association, Miss I. Willis (nurse inspector in the Health Department). It was stated that the remits to be considered at conference iu reference to the Child Welfare Act (sent from Auckland) had been well discussed by the executive, and the council agreed that the Wellington delegates shock! be left to act iu the matter when they had heard what tire Auckland delegates had to say about them. In regard to the council’s attitude concerning the closing .of domestic courts to the public, it was stated that while the council stood for the exclusion of the general public from domestic courts, it was always stressed that Press representatives should be present, thus safeguarding any public Interests concerned.

Correspondence included a letter from Sir Lindo Ferguson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Otago University, who had been asked by the council if any woman student had bad opportunity of taking advantage of the scholarship which was the result of the Do. minion donation of money for the Obstetrical Chair at the university, the overplus of which had been reserved for the scholarship. Sir Lindo stated that in the case of outstanding ability her sex would not stand in the way of her appointment. So far, however, the men students had been considered as the more eligible.

The president, Mrs. M. H. Chatfield, brought under notice of the council the intention of a woman’s society to ask for an amendment of the Police Act which would restrain the sale of contraceptives, and also tho fact that a generift plan of sex education among meu aud boys was contemplated, it being considered that while women have a great number of opportunities to study these subjects, few, if any, are offered to the other sex. The council agreed to support both movements. Housing Conditions. Mrs. Cook, who had asked that she might bring the result of her investigations regarding the lamentable conditions of some of the housing in Wellington, was present and gave an interesting address, showing that in practically all parts of the city there were to be found most miserable conditions for people of very small means, and asking the assistance of the Council of Women to bring these matters under notice of the authorities. Mrs. Barnes, who accompanied her, spoke of the conditions of life of those who had been for a long time on relief work. A sympathetic hearing was given to both addresses, and the president agreed to the suggestion that a small sub-committee of council members should go into the whole matter and gather what further information possible from Mrs. Cook and other sources. The committee was set up, and Miss England (convener) agreed to put the matter in hand at once. The president, in thanking the ‘speakers, remarked that both the daily papers in Wellington had given considerable publicity to the subject of bad housing, and the N.C.W. had, in the course of a questionnaire addressed to each candidate for the City Council, asked that special consideration be given to the matter of housing, as soon as practicable, as the matter was one of urgency. A good deal of private investigation had also been going on, and the council was well aware of the conditions complained about, and had done a great deal to bring forward the need for better conditions, which included the speedy erection of either workers’ cottages or community houses.