MEETING OF WOMEN

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 96, 23 April 1917, Page 3

MEETING OF WOMEN

N LABOUR OPPOSITION,

A meeting of Christchurch women, called by the Canterbury branch of the Women's National Reserve, was held on Saturday morning at the V.M.C.A. to appeal to the miners' wives particularly, and to womenfolk generally, to use their influence to end the miners' strike. - There was an attendance of close on a hundred, presided over by Mrs. William Wood, president of the branch, among those present being the Mayoress (Mrs. Holland). The meeting commenced in an orderly manner, but a, section of anti-conscriptionists submitted a hostile motion, and at one timo feeling ran high (reports the Star). Mrs. Wood moved the following motion :— . "The members of the Christchurch branch of the Women's National Reserve wish, to express their sincere sympathy with the wives of the miners on strike. Only women know how in_ such a crisis it is the wives and children that suffer most. They venture to hope, also, that the wives of the miners will use their influence with their husbands to persuade them to reconsider their decision; to remind them that this is in large measure a war to vindicate the rights of women and children; the brutalities of the Germans to the women of Belgium would alone, apart from other horrors, justify this war; the cause of the Allies should appeal to the chivalry of men as well as to their love of justice and freedom. In striking at this time, when the war is all but won, the men are helping the enemy,' and in their loyalty to their leaders forget another and higher. loyalty to their own hearths and homes."

At the suggestion of Mrs. Ki'rkpatrick, the motion was amended as an expression of opinion from a women's public meeting, and not from a meeting of the National Reserve. It was also decided to' add that the appeal was nonpolitical and non-sectarian. Among, the speakers was Mrs.. J. M'Combs, who said that she was surprised at the amazing effrontery of a group of wealthy women in the city, and their impropriety in invading the sa-nctity of the homes of the miners in their troubles. The statement was received with applause from a small section of the audience. Continuing, Mrs. M'Combs said that a short time ago the wool growers and wheat growers of the country had held up the New Zealand and Imperial Governments until_ they got a great increase in the price of their commodities. She had visited the mining districts twice recently, and had gone among the women and saw where they lived, and she wondered how they existed from day to day as they did. The miners and their wives were loyal to their country, but they had something that they guarded as strongly and more strongly than the wealthy men of New Zealand protected their pockets, and that was the freedom of the working people. (Applause.) Knowing the miners well she knew how they would accept the resolution. She hoped for the dignity of Christchurch. that suclf an impertinent resolution would not go forth.

Mrs. Bean said there must be a united effort to win the wax, and those who supported the strike were fighting against their own interests. The workers were not disloyal, but they were misguided on the subject ol conscription. They should be anti-German, not anti. Ooiiscriptionist. As a representative of

the respectable women of Christchurch she supported the motion. Mrs. Nuttall said that she had lived in Lancashire, and she knew miners. Their wives would follow them whatever they did. The motion would not be well received on the West Coast. Conscription was a cursed thing—(uproar)— and the women should know better than to send their sons to face cannon. They had not brought their sons up to be conscripted. Mrs. Bean interjected: "I wonder what the women of Belgium brought their girls up for ? Mrs. Newell said that she regarded Mrs. Nuttall's speech as an imputation against the women of New Zealand who had bred their boys to fight in the ranks. Thousands had done so, and were prouS of it.

Mrs. Bradley said that it was an impertinence to claim that those present represented the women of New Zealand. The working class had to provide the men to fight the war. She moved as an amendment -. —

"That this meeting of Christchurch women sends out greetings to the wives, mothers, and sisters of the West Coast miners.- We wish you success in your noble and disinterested fight against military absolutism, and we invite you to enter into arrangements whereby you shall, with your children, enjoy the hospitality of our homes throughout the duration of this struggle."

Mrs. Napier seconded ' the amendment. ."■.,.'

The Chairman, who had in the beginning requested a brief discussion to enable those present to return to their Saturday morning duties, decided to close the discussion at this point and proceeded to put the motion.' There were angry protests from the back of the hall that the amendment should be put first.

Mrs. Wood put the motion first nevertheless. There was a huge majority in favour of it, and Mrs. Wo^ft declared it carried.

During the singing of the National Anthem a disaffected portion of the audience remained seated.