IS IT PREVALENT?

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 73, 27 March 1930, Page 10

IS IT PREVALENT?

DEINKINCt BY WOMEN

DIVERGENT OPINIONS

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.") AUCKLAND, This Day. A warning that the drinking of intoxicating liquor by young women was increasing so alarmingly that it was in danger of "sapping the very foundations of the country," was issued by Mrs. I. Phillips, a delegate from the Albany Women's Institute, at the biannual meeting of the Auckland Provincial Federation of Women's Institutes yesterday, ffhe meeting carried a remit from the Albany Institute to the effect that women and girls should be prohibited from drinking intoxicating liquor in public places. Opinions expressed by Auckland wo- j men prominent in public affairs and social work are definite in stating that if there is a foundation for the allegations made by Mrs. Phillips an immediate remedy is required. "We are fully alive to the fact that there is a good deal of drinking by women and girls going on and we are doing our best to combat the evil," said Miss Jean Begg, general secretary of the Y.W.C.A., when asked to express an opinion. She did not think the drinking habit was so prevalent as Mrs. Phillips suggested, nor did she think that there were signs of its decrease. She was convinced that the average young woman dill not want the drinking life, and the best thing was to provide youiig women with an environment where they could improve themselves. She claimed that that environment was provided by the Y.W.C.A. which, in the best interests of young women, should be given every possible support. "If the public are apathetic and condone drinking by women, things will go from bad to worse," said Miss Begg, "but if public opinion is against it, then there will be an uplifting tendency. The real danger is that a habit once developed is hard to break from." "CREATE A HEALTHY ATMOSPHERE." Miss Blanche Carnaehan, president of the Auckland branch of the National Council of Women, said that if such conditions exist it was certainly time something was done. To her knowledge, Mr. T. M. Wilford, when he was Minister of Justice, was approached some time ago and he promised to investigate the matter; also, there was a society in Wellington which had written to her and was much concerned about the evils of drinking among women. This showed that there was a general feeling throughout the Dominion to remedy the state of affairs. If drinking went on in privato homes, Miss Carnachan continued, it _ was purely a-personal matter, but if it became public, jurisdiction should certainly be exercised and a police woman could do very fine work in this direction, vine only way really to combat the was a create a healthy public atmosphere about it. "I have not personally seen much evidence of drinking to excess by women and girls, as I do not frequent places where such conduct would occur," said Miss Ellen Melville. "From time to' time, however, I receive very definite information, which I am afraid is authentic, that the practice is increasing. The obvious method of dealing with the trouble other than the force of public opinion is that already adopted in most progressive countries — tlie appointment of wo'men police with full powers. As regards the suggestion of the Women's Institutes thaiwomen and girls should be prohibited from drinking intoxicating liquors in public places, there should not be one law for men a,nd another for women." BEACHES AND RESERVES. "Whether tho habit of drinking intoxicating liquor is increasing among young women is a matter upon which I cannot speak so definitely as social workers," said Miss Alice Basten. "I know it is exceedingly prevalent, but I do not think it obtains to the same extent as three or four years ago. I regret that the resolution carried confines itself to the prohibition from drinking intoxicating liquor iv public places, for, as a public woman, I know that the time has arrived when local bodies throughout the Dominion must tackle the position as it obtains today in regard to the thoroughfares and reserves tinder their control. No member, of a local body is ignorant of what is going on, and wo must face up to it. Very serious, too, is the fact that local authorities have not absolute control over beaches. Actions in this direction, however, are only deterrents, and not preventives. The remedy is with the young people themselves, but how to get home to them is the problem." Major ' Gordon, of th^ Salvation Army, said that she could not make such a sweeping statement as to say that girls were drunk on the beaches. She went about a great deal, and had never seen drink on the beaches. There was certainly a tremendous amount of drinking among the young womanhood and manhood of the town, and she herself had handled girls as young as 15 years who were tho worse for drink. It was not fair to put the blame entirely on the girls. The "hip-pocket" young escort had a great deal to do with it. The whole state of affairs was the outcome of the standard of living. The young people were "mad for pleasure.''