WOMEN AND WELFARE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 38, 13 August 1930, Page 11

WOMEN AND WELFARE

WORK OF THE LEAGUE

PAN-PACIFIC CONFERENCE

HONOLULU, 11th August.

Great enthusiasm was evoked by an address by Damo Baehel Crowdy on tho social and welfare work of the League of Nations, delivered at a public meeting of the Women's Pan-Paeifio Conference. Dame Baehel dealt briof]y with the opium question, describing tho international character of the traffic with the consequent difficulty of control. She referred to the reports of tho committee investigating tho traffic in womon and children published by the League. There was no central dominating figuro in tho traffic, but there was close co-operation between individuals concerned, both men and women.

Miss Abbot, of the United States Child Welfare Bureau, was responsible for a suggestion that an investigation should be carried out, and also was responsible for influence in obtaining American financial support. The investigation is to be continued in Asiatic countries, on tho suggestion of the Japanese League delegate. Money again j was forthcoming from America. Child welfare was a comparatively ] new League undertaking. The work of j the Permanent Commission consisted chiefly of studies of such subjects as children's courts and the connection between illegtiinaey and delinquency. Three international child welfare conventions were being prepared now. THE DRUG TRAFFIC. The subject of tho opium traffic was continued by Dame Baehel Crowdy at a public luncheon arranged by the PanPacific Union to-day. Tho international machinery for control was described; The publicity given to the seizures of the drugs and tho names of tho firms and individuals concorned was one of j the chief means of checking the traffic and had valuablo results. Annual roports wero being supplied by countries ratifying the Opium Convention, giving the quantities imported, exported, manufactured, and required for medical purposes. The value of cocaine, stated Damo Kaehel Crowdy, mado the smuggling of minute quantities profitable, henco the groat ingonuity of the methods adopted and tho difficulty of detection.

An interesting reception wns held by tho Pan-Pacific Institute at Manoa Valley. Thanks were expressed in thoiSamoau language by Miss Jean Begg, of Now Zealand, and the American and Chinese delegates. . • The conference work began to-day with a survey by Miss Jean Begg of social service problems. A keen discussion followed.

Interest was shown in the Australian experiment of an unemployment tax.