THE WOMEN'S COUNCIL.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7738, 18 April 1896, Page 3

THE WOMEN'S COUNCIL.

MORE RESOLUTIONS.

[PK» P2E33 ASSOCIATION.]

Ghbktchuboh, This day,

At the Women's Council this morning the following resolutions were passed :— Moved by Mrs Williamson— " That at this j and future meetings of the Oonncil any alj lueion. to party politics be suppressed." Moved by Lady Stout—"ln the opinion of this Council the law relating to devolution of property should be altered so that every man owning property and having a wife or a wife and children should be compelled to make provision for them out of Ms property to the extent of not less than one-third part of /such property for his wife and one-third part for his ohildren, and in the case of a man not having father, mother, brother or sister, one-half of his property should be left to hie wife and the other half to his ohildren, provided that in the latter case it should be lawful for the owner, before making suoh provision, to leave not exneeding 6 per cent of his property to charitable purposes. Moved by Mrs Sievwright—•'That this Council considers that the police force is very far from being in a desirably efficient condition, and suggests that meaue may be teken to render it more efficient."

Moved by Mrs Wells—"That this Council recommends the various Associations eendiitg delegates to the Counoil to establish educational f ands in their several districts with the view of proouriog and distributing suitable -literature on social and politiosil questions " JUady Stout objected that the Oouncil had no right to uot as a propagandist and th»t thia motion tended to interfere with tho independence of the Associations conneoted with the Oouncil. Two delegates diseeuted from the motion-

A paper by J. C. Kirby, Port Adelaide, on the CD. Acts was read. Thn writer advooated free hoepitala as a substitute for the Acts.

Dr Symes gave an address on the same subject and said a substitute must be found before the act-* were done away with. Knowledge was required before an attempt could be made to deal with the subject, and women's societies should investigate it, despite its unpleasantness. It was unanimously resolved on the motion of Mrs Behnackenburg—"That in the opiiiiou of the Counoil the CD. Ac-te should be removed from the Statate Book of the colony." Mrs "Juuuingham gave an address on the Criminal Code Act, and advooated raising the ago of oonaent to 18 or 21 years.