PAN-PACIFIC CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 20613, 13 October 1930, Page 7

PAN-PACIFIC CONFERENCE

ADDRESS BY DELEGATE A large number of members of tiio League of Nations Union and the Women Teachers’ Association assembled in the Tudor Hall on Saturday afternoon, when an address on the PanPacific Conference was given by Miss E. E, Andrews, president 'of tho_ New Zealand Women Teachers’ Association and one of the delegates to the conference recently held at Honolulu. Miss Andrews -was introduced by the mayoress (Mrs H. 'S. Black), who stated that the Pan-Pacific Conference, which was held every year, was attended by women delegates from most of the countries bordering the Pacific and dealt principally with questions affecting women and their work. It was a great honour to bo sent to such a conference as this. In this age, when women were taking such a prominent part'in the social and political life of the world, the Pan-Pacific Conference afforded them a splendid opportunity of ascertaining the ideas of women of various nations, and it was only by meeting and discussing problems that they could progress towards the goal at which they were aiming—namely, women’s proper place in the affairs of the world. In opening her address Miss Andrews explained the constitution of the PanPacific Conference, and' showed that it was in truth an assembly of representatives from practically every country bordering or in the Pacific Ocean. Her own personal impressions of the conference, stated Miss Andrews, wore principally in the light of convictions of the absolute pettiness of racial antipathy, for under thq skin all nations had exactly the same ideals and aspirations. Another impression she gained was the feeling of dependence and trust which the people of the less advanced races had with regard to the more democratic and advanced nations. Miss Andrews then dealt with the educational section of tho conference, and stated that a summary had been made of the educational conditions existing round the Pacific. That summary had brought out certain similarities in the conditions in the various countries. Tho health programmes, the literary aims, and tho mechanical methods of distributing educational material all showed points of similarity. All nations wore also placing a marked emphasis on the values which beautified lives. English was taught everywhere, both for commercial purposes and for intellectual co-operation. In tho conference of 200 women there were only three who could not speak English fluently. In most countries, also, there was a distinct effort being made towards tho establishment of a universal language. Amongst the outstanding addresses at tho conference were those given by Miss Goodykuntz, Assistant Commissioner of Education in tho United States of America, and Miss Mel, who dealt with tho efforts of tho motion picture industries of California towards the safeguarding of women and children, and Dame Rachel Crowdy, chief of the Social Questions and Opium Traffic Section of tho League of Nations, who dealt with tho work done by her committee. In speaking of the future of the Women’s Conference, Miss Andrews stated that all tho delegates were unanimous that the conference should not be allowed to lapse. The aim of tho conference was to provide a better knowledge of and a better understanding between the various nations, and one of the principal endeavours of tho conference was to oppose Avar. The message from the conference to New Zealand was that it should not sit back and let tho rest of tho world go on, but that it should develop an outlook in terms of the whole of Immunity and not confine its activities to the welfare of Now Zealand alone.