WOMEN PATROLS.

Evening Star, Issue 18057, 26 August 1922, Page 3

WOMEN PATROLS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I see by the report of the meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children that the society is making a fresh bid for the reinstatement of women patrols. Now, I would like to know in what way the public health or the morals of Dunedin were benefited by the efforts of the two patrols whose services were recently dispensed with. 1 have put tho question to a great many people, but no one seems to know anything of their activities, except that they went to the pictures and strolled about town. If tho society would uso its influence to see that more power be given to tho police to deal with the social evils of our cities, it would be more to the purpose. That is what is needed. In these days of financial stringency and the groat outcry at the Government’s expenditure, surely it is ridiculous to see this agitation for the reinstatement of women patrols. I wonder if the public know that they started at a salary of £l6 a month, to reach which a police matron has to serve about ten years, and has to bo ready for duty if called at any hour of tho day or night. Ono does not wonder that the ex-patrols are making a hard fight to regain their soft jobs. I thinK it is absurd to appoint women patrols in New Zealand; but if they are an absolute necessity by all means let us have thoroughly trained, competent, sensible women trained to social work. Preference should also be given to women who are breadwinners. I am told that the salaries of one of the ex-patrols and her husband totalled about £3O a month, also a free house. That seems hardly right in these days when so many women are the sole support of their families. I think if tho society will hand over the £IOO it proposes to put to the patrol fund to Mr Gumming for the Rest Homo or to Ensign Coombs for her poor, it will bring more results and better ones without doubt. If it also advocated that parents supervise their sons and daughters going out and coming home, I think there would be n groat improvement iu our city life,-' I am, etc., 'Worker. August 23,