FRANCHISE JUBILEE

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 305, 20 September 1943, Page 6

FRANCHISE JUBILEE

Women’s Thanksgiving Service “We are met to give thanks for that privilege,” said Dliss Amy Kane, chairman, speaking in AVellington yesterday afternoon at the thanksgiving service for the golden jubilee of women’s franchise in New Zealand. There was a large and representative gathering of women, among whom wore Mrs. P. Fraser, wife of the Prime Dlinister, Dlrs. O. Stewart, Lady Dlyers, the mayoress (Mrs. Hislop), and Lady Pumare. The programme included addresses by three women —Dliss C. Kirk, who spoke on the fight for the franchise; Dlrs. Knox Gilmer, whose father, the Rt. Hon. R. J. Seildon, was Premier when the Bill was passed and who spoke on the Parliamentary side; and Dliss K. Forde, who dealt with women’s work of the future. _ A special prayer, written for the occasion by Miss Elsie Andrews, was recited, and two hymns were sung, "O God, Our Help in Ages Past” and “Jerusalem.” The Petone women’s choir presented a bracket of songs. In the days before the granting of the franchise, women who* realized that their sex had no representation in civic life felt that the time had come for them to have a vote, said Dliss Kirk. At first the work was purely educative, done by those who claimed that every woman should have a right to vote for the protection of herself and her children, and for the safety and well-being of the State. At, that time only three classes of people did not vote —criminals, lunatics and women. Petitions eontaiinng thousands of women’s names were presented to. Parliament. In 1893 the largest petition ever presented td any Parliament in Australia or New Zealand was sent up, containing nearly 32,000 names. From reports of the day, Dlrs. Knox Gilmer read extracts from speeches which had been made by members of Parliament end which, while purporting to take a serious view of the matter, were often notliing but idiotic statements. One man said: “If ladies were allowed seats in this House the men would be distracted by them, but if the women were chosen for their plainness it. would not be so bad. AVith beautiful ladies sitting in the House, my wife, I know, would not let me return here.” Even Dlr. Seddon, after the passing of the Bill, said it had plunged Parliament into unknown depths and he was uncertain as to the outcome of the measure.

AVhen the Bill was finally passed in 1893, its opponents took the unusual course then of petitioning the Governor to withhold his signature trom the Bill because the electors had had 4 no opportunity to express their opinion on it. Mrs. Sheppard wrote to the Governor pointing out how often and in how many successive Parliaments it had been debated and that constituencies had elected members to its support. On September 19, 1593. the Earl of Glasgow, as Governor, affixed his signature to the Bill. Mrs. Gilmer showed the pen which had been used- to sign the Bill, and which had been presented to her mother. The morning after the first election, when women used their vote, Dlr. Pember .Reeves had said 90,000 women had “peacefully voted.”

Challenge to AVomen.

The jubilee of women’s franchise was a challenge to all New Zealand women, said Dliss Forde. AVe should remember that liberty and justice, for which, our ancestors fought, were not casual things. AVe must face our problems with the same bold-mindedness that they brought to bear so successfully on theirs. One of the greatest tasks of today was to keep the ideal of social justice ever before one. There must, be freedom, but with economic security; the freedom to think, speak and write, together with the freedom to have a good meal. “You can't fill the babv's bottle with liberty.” she said. After this war, was the profit motive or the ideal of social justice to be the guide? It was up to everyone to make democracy a reality, and it was up to the women to help create the new world. Real democracy was the line of life. Service and fellowship should make women tho partners of men. Only by recognizing tlie right of every . human being could there be true equality and democracy.