IMMIGRATION SHIPS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 84, 22 March 1911, Page 11

IMMIGRATION SHIPS.

PROTECTION OF WOMEN. A letter was read at the Methodist Conference at Sydney last Wednesday, written to a member of the conference, which referred in terms of commendation to the action of the conference in bringing under the notice of the church and the public the dangers of ship life from the Homeland to Australia on board some of the vessels bringing immigrants to these shores. The letter alluded to certain things alleged to have taken place under the writer’s own observation aboard ship coming to Australia. The letter went on, “and without fear of contradiction I do not hesitate to say that there is many a young woman who leaves the Homeland with a spotless character who is robbed of that ere the voyage is long commenced by so-called men, who have made it their purpose to ruin womankind. And in the interests, not only of woman and humanity, but in the interests of the British Empire, as a Christian nation,, it ought to be remedied ; and if the Government encourages immigrants to this country, they ought to see that the necessary precautions are taken for the retaining of men and

women’s moral and spiritual characters, which it is almost impossible to maintain under the existing conditions of immigration. For instance, amongst 840 third-class passengers, both male and female, there were two baths, eight washhand basins,* and two lavatories! Is not this deplorable ?