WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Evening Star, Issue 17365, 29 May 1920, Page 6

WOMEN AND CHILDREN

ANNUAL MEETING 0E THE SOCIETY _ Archdeacon W. Curzon-Siggors, presiding at the annual meeting, held yesterday afternoon, of ihe Society for the Protection oi \\omen and Children, moved'the adoption of the report. He said that the i society nad now " eome of age." and thet ! it stood for the care of the family, realising that the stability of a nation depended on tho family. Hence the care of the family was a _ national work. The good results in alleviating misery and improving home life were encouraging features of the i work. Amongst tho outstanding wants for i tho good of the family to-dav was the [creation of an "Order of" Domestic Helpers." in order that the family might be kept together. This cider was' needed, I not only, to give wives help in the homes, but for the aid 1 of widowers who could get no motherly women to look after the children. Our homes and orphanages, though doing a splendid work, did not fill the bill. The family needed to he keot together under the paternal roof. For this an "Order of Domestic Helpers" was ne?ded —as honorable an order as that of nurses or any other form of woman's work. Pending this, we needed some new kind of home for children of widowers, where the father might spend feme time with his ■children, and the children live together as a family separate from other families. Our orph.iunges did not give this, nor were they created so to do. nor did they exist to meet sueh a demand—a demand'cine to theimiMssihilitv of finding women to help •■"* in years, ago. Amongst onr wants for the benefit of women and children were: (11 The farm eclemy for ne'er-do-wells to work and recover self-respect, nrd by their hbo-s provide for their families instead of the State, doing, so ; (2) homes for perrons of week intellect—perhaps not suflirieutly donVient to be placed hi Soaciiff. yet a clanger to the community : (3) provision made for collectin- the payments due to foster Parents ; el) Magdnlen homes, which would b n more needed if sexual sins went on iucrnsing: (5) women pnrrols. On the suhy>ct of women patrols the speaker said he would like, to throw a little mere, light on the subject, due to a letter received from Mrs .Taehsoii. one of their members now vis : t : n:; Fivope. The women patrols of L-ru'dnii -wer,? enroiied for at least one year's servjep after three months' training. The patrol was liable for duty at any time, anil at any pla'e dh'eeted. "The normal horrs were seven. The uniform w;:s suppbed by the p-lieo property receiver. The uniform consisted of "navy hire long coats, with belt, and navy blue helmet, kigh-kgged. strong, flat-heeled boots, and in wet weather leggings. They paraded in couples and stood about everywhere, and very yy'ic-n in company with a constable. '1 hey did a great work, and were respected by everyone. At present in Loudon there were 100 women patrols, 10 ;e:geanis, and a .superintendent and her assistant. They had fine offices in Scotland Yard, and the poli"o so valued their services'that they would do anything for their comfort. The woman patrol was what we so much needed in New Zealand. She would be invaluable in dealing with the problems of jhe- partly mental 'deficient, and the payment of foster mothers, and in saving girls from a fate which could only be met by Magdalen homes at great expense. Tho Mayor (Mr Begg) seconded the motion, and referred to the good that pa!r*.'ls_ were doing. In connection with domestic teaching he said he had a sister undergoing training in America, and any information she might scud him he would be only too glad to hand over. A word of credit was duo to Mrs Ansell, their secretary, who had carried out her work well for 20 years. Tho motion was carried. Mr Duncan Wright moved that Archdeacon Curzon-Sicgers be re-elected as president and that the subscribers and friends of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children realise tbat tho annual report woulcT be incomplete without a specific reference to that gentleman. Although a busy City pastor, Archdeacon Curzon-Siggers had. by his large-hearted sympathy and unabated enthusiasm, been for many years in large measure the moving force in this well-known beneficent organisation. The acting membais of committee, the suffering women and little children, owed to him a debt of gratitude which one could hardly express in adequate. terms. Tho motion was seconded bv Bishop Richards and carried unanimously. The other officers elected -were:—Vicepresidents", Mr J. M. Gallawav and Mrs Sim; committee—Dr E. Siedeberg. the Bev. V. G.' B. King, the Rev. E A Axelsen, tho Bev. C. Dalktstcn, Mr'bunoa.ii Wright. Misses Stewart and Rnnciman, Mesdames Gordon, Jackson, Stone Foster, Davey, Maciarlane, and Staff Captain Park and Adjutant Baker (Salvation Army); hon. solicitors—Messrs A. S Adams, R. -fiflkison, C. Gk White, j. li. Callan, W. L. Mcoto, J. R. Lemon, and H. Brasch.