TOWN WITH A WOMAN GOVERNMENT.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3140, 23 October 1922, Page 7

TOWN WITH A WOMAN GOVERNMENT.

The first town to come wholly under "petticoat Government was Umatilla, in Oregon, U.S.A. Tn 1915 this town, a railway division headquarters, with a population of 400, was practicality bankrupt. Among its debts were £OOO in outstanding water warrants, -£3OO for fire apparatus and the interest on £4OOO borrowed for the installation of a wafer plant. The city charter was about to revert to the State. In this crisis the administration, headed by Major Starcher, conceived the idea of turning its' job over to) women._ Their wives had.been good managers in their homes. Why not pioneers in the community and thrifty in town affairs 9 Each office holder wrote his wife's name on the ticket and electioneered for her. From Mayor Laura Starchier down a complete woman's administration was elected. Everybody in town except the newly elected officials accepted the situation as a fine joke. The town was bankrupt anyhow, so why worry about what the women did in office? The 1 women, looking over the situation, realised that they had a man's sized job to handle, but they were undismaved and 1 determined. First they decided that there were too many saloons and too many guests in the city gaol. There were fights by day and by night, and thev still tell a tale in Umatilla of how the "lady Mayor." hearing a disturbance in front of her house, emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron and announced to the man who had. started the ruction: ".John Smith, yon are under arrest." In sheer amazement the offender paid bis fine then and there. When the gaol burned down the "administration" collected the insurance and bired a' room in the hotel, where con viral citizens were locked up until they were sober enough to pay I heir fine's. If thev were out of town men, all the better. Their fines went into the treasury, and then they were led amazed and lamblike, to the railway station, where the conductor or engineer on the train, usually husband of a town office holder, was told to drop them off at their own towns. Hit bv bit, fines and thrift began to liquidate the town's debts. The wolen were charged with being stingy, but when the next election came another group of women, headed by Mrs Stella Paulu, was elected. uDring these two administrations the town had to meet the exigencies of the world war and to fight an epidemic of smallpox, but the city's indebtedness was entirely wiped out, the

sum of L'lOO was in the treasury, a new main street was surveyed and everything: was in readiness to improve ii. Then the men decided that the women had vindicated their faith in them —and proceeded to elect an all' man administration. To the credit of the men. however, he it said that they continued many of the businesslike methods introduced hy their wives, and ITnatilla to-day is a clean and thrifty little city. The women P Oh, they said they had had enough of town management and were ylad, to yo hack to their church and club work, their homes and their leas!