MISS ROYDEN'S TOUR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 12 April 1929, Page 10

MISS ROYDEN'S TOUR.

FKMINJST MOVEMENT. NEW ZEALAND IMPRESSIONS. At the Lyceum Club, in February, the president and committee of the British Commonwealth League held an “at home” at which the. chief guest was Miss A. Maude Boy den (reports the London correspondent of the Wellington “Evening Post.” A number of interesting people were present, and an outstanding feature of a pleasant evening was the spfendid singing of Miss Stella Murray (Christchurch). She uses with ease her beautiful and rich contralto voice, throwing forward her notes without effort. So enthusiastic was tho audience that ishe sung no fewer than nine songs in addition to encores. The composers included Tchaikovsky, Stanford, Mallinson, and H. Graxton. Miss Anne Williams was her accompanist. Miss Roydlen .subsequently referred to Miss Murray as “New ' Zealand’s fairest singer.” During tho evening speeches were made by"Mr,s Corbett Ashley (president of the league), Miss Ohavo Colldison, M.A. (lion, organiser), and Mis® Royden. Mists Collison gave a rapid outline of the tour, its purposes, and its results, emphasising the hearty cooperation which was accorded her by tine branches of the league a,si well as by other organisations. 'Mrs Corbett Ashley was convinced of the value of the visit to distant parts of the Empire of women such as Mi.ss Roy den. The more our Dominions developed in the directions of complete independence and so :f-go vernnuentthe more important it was to realise the spiritual basis of our goocl-fellowship and understanding. Each step forward towards liberty, although loosening the formal bonds, .seemed to strengthen the spiritual ties of kinship. It was a good omen that, in the year of women’s full enfranchisement tho league had been able to. send as tun bass ad o.dre ss a woman who could take the rarest gift of all, an advtanco in spiritual understanding. It was valuable Imperial worn to send someone who could open new horizons and! give a, new sense of values. KARITane homes. Mias Hoyden spoke with special'interest of her visits to the Karitane homes in New Zealand. She laid stress on the fact that the infant death, rato was lower in New Zealand than anywhere eUse in the worm, and .she found in her jonmeyinigs that everything wais being done -to _ lessen maternal moirtatijty. She ,considered that the work accomplished- in New Zealand in connection with the. reduction of the infant death rate showed tlua.t the people realised tlieir sense of responsibility as citizens. She considered that in this way the. New Zealand women had done very valuable work with their vote, although many people had told her that the: women had dene nothing with their franchise. At the Karitane homes were tiny infants who would not have had a chance previously but who now would progress and become in time normal and healthy children.

“I had a great deal to say about our political work,” Miss Hoyden said!. "It seemed to me that politically the feminist movement is not so advanced over there as here. It would bo a great thing if we could send them a woman member of Parliament, so that they could understand how important it is to have women in Parliament, and what magnificent work has been dona by our women in the House af Commons.” Here she looked at Miss M. Biondfield, 31. P., mentioning her name. Even when there were only two women at Westminster they accomplished many useful tilings), and oven when there, was oifiy one a. good deal had been done. Miss Hoyden remarked that .she; had noticed in' her travels that ns far as the women’s movement was concerned it was all over the. world curiously irregular in its advance. In every country it was lacking in some respect; in one place the advance would be social, but not political, lanid in another it would he mainly political. She spoke at some length about conditions in India, and their difficulties from the women’s point of view. Goirnnenting on the fact that in some, places there were some critics about a charge being made to bear a woman ieetiuicr, 31isg Hoydon mentioned an incident in New Zealand, told her by the girl who had been in charge of the box office. When a youth found that entrance was not free he said: “l)o you think I mix going to pay to hoar a woman .spout Y” “No, you are not,” said the girl. “The hail’is full already, so you couldn't get in whatever you offered to pay.”