The Star. Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, OpunaKe, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, and Waverley. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1912. A UNION-RIDDEN COUNTRY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 20 January 1912, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, OpunaKe, Otakeho, Manutahi, Alton, Hurleyville, Patea, and Waverley. SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 1912. A UNION-RIDDEN COUNTRY.

How many unions are there in New Zealand, we wonder. Some day perhaps someone with sufficient leisure and sufficient enterprise will apply himself to the subject, and not only work out the total number of unions of till kinds in the country, but classify thorn and set out the object or objects of eacli individual union. The record, with explanatory comments, would be far above the ordinary run of dry statistical, tabular returns, for it w,ould not only give a comprehensive bird'seye view of the country's 'industrial activities, but indicate the practices, ideals, and economic notions of the members, whether workers or employers. In matters economic and political, a record like this would have a value akin to that of a first-rate dictionary or standard text book on any subject of recognised importance. The wonder is that such a work has not been produced ere this—if not by some enterprising publisher, then by the Labor Department. Indeed, this De.a -tment might be regarded as failing in its duty in consequence of its failure to produce this compilation, with its indispensable explanatory addenda and commentaries. There is, it is true, one strong extenuating circumstance, which consists in the fact that of the making of unions there is no end in New Zealand. They keep jumping over each other like boys playing leap-frog, or porpoises at sea, and perhaps no part of the Dominion excels any other in producing them, though very likely Christchurch would, were a proper enquiry held, be found entitled to the dubious honor of first place. It would seem that the people of that city have a morbid energy which sometimes finds expression in the production of incomprehensible new. ..religions, and sometimes in the creation of unions, as a rule for interfering with things which it were better to leave to themselves, or for dealing with evils or abuses which exist only in imagination. The latest thing in this connection is a curious institution, with the imposing name of "The Church, the Fireside and the Housewives' XJnion." This

title seems,to indicate that the union's main objects must be to encourage.and help women to take a steadily-increas-ing interest in the work and aims of the churches, in the benignant pleasures of the fireside, and the honorable and all-important duties of housewifery. But the very reverse of this would seem to be the case. The articles of the union's constitution are remarkable *for their obscurity, but, in so far as it seems to be possible to understand them, they justify what we have just said, we think. To place the reader in a position to judge, here are the officially de«f ared "chief purposes" of the union: (1). To carry on a continuous educational campaign for mutual improvement among housewives in the promotion of the good citizenship of women and their part in all educational, commercial, and political affairs of special importance to the family life of New Zealand . (2) To organise the voting power of women in such a manner as to make them the most potent factors possible in the support of such public measures both in municipal and in national matters as are of importance to women l and especially to secure equality regardless of sex, both in rghts and opportunities.. (3) To combine in the special study of the causes of the great increase in the cost of lining and to cooperate to take advantage of the result of such study in the efforts to establish and to maintain just and rational prices in all household supplies.. (4) To' especially study the problems of home construction and equipment, including all such questions as the purchase or renting of houses, standard of repairs, sanitary conditions, and moral surroundings^ required in all residential areas, (o) To assist each other in mutual protection against all imposition on the part of landlords, shopkeepers, solictmg salemen or others, especially m all matters of short weights, imported loocls or medicines, shoddy goods, and especially against the innocent purchase ?}' ust f , ny , of the Products of sweated labor." (6) To improve the state of schools, and to extend their work m the direction of securing greater general efficiency in the manual and domestic arts, and the best possible service on behalf of the health and morals of the children of New Zealand (0 lo promote the most humane and scientific, management of all prisons, asylums, and other institutions dealing: m any way with the defective or the helpless as well as the improvement of all legislation affecting the care children, the aged, or the deformed." So tar as we understand language, there is nothing here about the church, the fireside, or housewifery. * The programme is a piece of inflated rhodombntade and we are sure it was never arawn up by any woman or committee or women It is not written in simple ordinary English, but in the iargon of the political pamphleteer and, stump orator, and a woman almost invariably expresses herself with simplcitv, clearness and directness. We think it will be well if the mental qualities which enable women generally to express themselves in that way induce the wo- ™* nnf Cli rist A ch^eh to hold aloof from j <A Church, A fireside, and A Housewives' Union-' the "chief purposes" of which are obviously those of persons ' who have political axes of their own to I grind, and who are desirous of getting women to turn the handles—an entirely un-housewife-like labor. Besides, just at present, we surely need no more S s m this already- union-ridden country; above all. none that pretend one thing and mean another.