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The Feilding Star, KIWITEA & OROUA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1905. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT.

A lady speaker in the Christchurch City Council Chamber last week said pointedly : " If there were not num ber 3of women who are better qualified id all ways to sit in the House of Representatives than the majority of the men now representing up, I should be feorry indeed tor my sex. Under the present law a Maori or a naturalised Chinaman is eligible to offer himself for election, while the most refined and cultured woman is debarred." Quite so. But as the members of the House of Representatives are not always selected because "they are the most refined and cultured" among men, her argument does not hold good on that line. We have the highest respect for the alleged gentler sex, and honestly believe that many of them are tar above tbe average mere man in brain power and capacity for work, but we are not sure that they would make very much better members of Parliament than tbe mere man, but they deserve at least a trial. We would suggest tentatively that as there is Maori representation in both Houses, a certain number of seats might be allotted in each for the representa tives of women. Do away with the present female franchise, and give them a franchise of their own to be exercised in the election of their candidates, and let the men on their part j revert to the old style of manhood i suffrage . Let there be no distinc tion whatever except that perhaps it would be better to base each of tbe representations on numbers —go many seats for the one sex and tbe same number for the other, this rule to apply in the formation of Cabinets. This idea is crude and wants licking into shape, but there is something in it. Poor Sydney Taiwhanga, of pious memory, had some very pronounced views on this subject. VVe do not remember what they were, but if any of our readers are anxious to know they can, with confidence, refer to tho pages of Hansard, in which his speeches were recorded. In conclusion, we may be permitted to remark that should a mixed Parliament be formed, the mo3t difficult problem to be solved would be tha*. of the Premier and Piima Donna, so to speak.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/FS19050829.2.4

Bibliographic details

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 30, 29 August 1905, Page 2

Word Count
396

The Feilding Star, KIWITEA & OROUA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1905. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT. Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 30, 29 August 1905, Page 2

The Feilding Star, KIWITEA & OROUA COUNTIES GAZETTE. Published Daily. TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1905. WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT. Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 30, 29 August 1905, Page 2