PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Evening Star, Issue 21116, 31 May 1932, Page 16

PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

SOCIETY'S ANNUAL MEETING The thirty-second annual meeting of the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children was held in the Council Chambers at the Town Hall yesterday afternoon, the mayor (Air R. S. Black) presiding over a fair attendance of members. ADDRESS BY LADY SIM. The annual report and balance-sheet were presented by the president (Lady Sim), who said that it gave her great pleasure to be back amid the community work of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children. One item iu the report was deserving oi special attention—rthcre was a debit balance, largely due to the withdrawal of the Government subsidy. Faced by this, the society could only hope that private benevolence would come to the lescue in the temporary suspension of Government help. Service to the child was acknowledged us a national as well as individual duty. It had been said by a great poet that in the school satchel lay the keys of to-mor-row, and it was of the first importance that a human being’s sub-consciousness should be healthy. The society believed that, no matter how greatly parental duty betrayed its trust., the child should not suffer. In the sub-conscious Jay the power to electrify an idea and give unity to tho ideas about it. Understanding this, duty to the child took wider significance, and it was seen that besides the sound mind in the sound body,, the child must have sound sub-conscious-ness. built upon forces of construction, through love and joy. rather than the destructive bred of early experiences of hate and despair. Great as was our goodwill to the child, or the race, and the nation, it found itself helpless without the monev power which enabled it to put its ideals into practical result. The adoption of the annual report and balance-sheet was moved by the Mavor, who said that although the bal-ance-sheet showed a debit balance, the society had the very great satisfaction of knowing that much valuable work had been done. Every married man should shoulder his responsibilities, and the society might do good work in bringing this about. He expressed pleasure that the president (Lady Sim) was back with the society once more. The motion was seconded by Mr H. W Bundle, fs.AI.. and carried without discussion.

MR H. W. BUNDLE’S ADDRESS. Mr H. W. Bundle outlined the work of the society. One appreciated, he said, the fact that the members ot the society were brought into close contact with the seamy side of life—indeed, that was the object of, the existence oi the societv. He went on to speak ot the frailties of men and women arising out of married life. Many unhappy marriages were the result of laziness ot the husband or a predilection l»r drink. These wore the cases in which the society set out to interest itself —a work which was in itaelt a tribute t-o the zeal of the members. Of course, muck ot the society’s work had to be done m secret. It would not be possible to make the facte ot cases known, and the result of this circumstance was that the extent oi the society’s work was not at all widely known. Mr Bundle went on to deal with the court work brought forward by the society, and commented on various aspects ot legal procedure in separation and maintenance actions. It was made clear that the present economic situation had had a marked effect on the position. The fact that a man could uot get work made it much more difficult to secure separation orders than would be the case otherwise, and it also frequently gave rise to domestic trouble owing to the insecure foundations of the marriage At the .present time tew ot those men who came before the court charged with failure to maintain were able to pay maintenance. In conclusion, he congratulated the society on the work it was doing, and expressed the conviction that the society would carry on its endeavours to the ultimate benefit of the women and children of the dominion. ADDRESS BY DEAN CRUICKSHANK. The Very Rev, Dean Cruiekshauk said he had been in Dunedin only for a month, and spoke somewhat as a sti anger. Ho came from Auckland, lint he had already noticed the great amount of work done by the mayor in connection with these societies. He was certain that the work of the society was just another illustration qt the kindness of human nature in trying to help those in distress. There was one thine he would like to emphasise, and that°was that in these days of unemployment relief the society might well recommend to the Government that there should he a higher scale of relief paid in the south than in the north. In the north the climate was {iracticallv sonii-tropical; in the south it was practically semi-frigid. In these circump - ■ hat a living in the south needed more money to provide fuel, clothing, etc., than a man in the north. < “ Hear. hear. ) OFFICE-BEARERS. The following office-bearers were appointed :—President. Lady Sim;vicepresidents - Dr Siedeberg-M Kmnon \frc, R, Kennedy, Miss Runcnnan, and Sir" Charles Statham. M.P.; committee —the Mayor (Mr IT S. Black). Mesdames Cameron Todd. Foster. Paik. Ross. Jones. Downing. Cruickshank. Miss Fraser. Dr Marion W byte. Row Y G Brvan Iving. Messrs R. Gdkisqn and 11. 'L Tnploytioasrrrer Miss Runciman; hon. medical ofEccis—lJ Scideberg-M ‘Kmnon and Mai ion Whyte; hon. solicitors—Messrs J. L. Calian F. H. Adams. H. Brascu. J. R. Lemon C .T. L. White. E. J. Ander‘ou CT T Bavlec. J. B. Thomson, G. M Llovd. W. Ruffell, O. G Sevens. C M Barnett, and J. E- K. Mirams. bon. auditors —Messrs Barr. Burgess. “I vote 3 of thanks was passed to the mayor for the interest he had alwa.v. shown in the society.