IMPORTANT ROLE

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 55, Issue 32705, 26 April 1946, Page 3

IMPORTANT ROLE

WIVES OF PUBLIC MEN HELPING THEIR HUSBANDS 'SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY When men are elected to public office, they shoulder a responsibility to the people who have elected them. It is often overlooked that their wives too have an important part to play in helping' them to carry out their work in the best possible way. This is especially so in the case of wives of Members of 'Parliament, and many of them keep just as long - hours and are dealing- as much with the constituents as their 'husbands, writes Mr J. Thorn, M.P., in a Wellington daily. One such woman who has been maried to a man who has been an M.'P. for the last 10 years- speaks with feeling on her responsibilities during that period. “Looking back over the last 10 years I am only conscious of speed,” she says-. ‘lt all seems like a dream. ’ As the wife of a labour leader, party organiser and editor for 20 years before the advent of Labour to power, this woman thought that she had experienced a fairly crowded existence. The meetings, socials and proof-reading, in- addition to the everyday worries of family life together with most of the responsibility of home and children, seemed a big enough burden. But the impact of the first three years in a new administration as vhe wife of a member for a largely rural district made me realise the meaning of the American -slang term, ‘You ain’t seen nothin’ yet’,” she said 1 . Huge Mail Handled ■ln those first three years 18,000 letters came to the house. These were all personally answered and contacts made. Sometimes four or five letters were necessary to cover one issue raised'. (From early in the morning until late at night the sitting-room and kitchen were waiting rooms for constituents. 'Somehow, said this wife, she managed to wash, clean, iron, bake and sew as- well as attend school committees, Mayors’ relief committees, act as honorary child welfare officer, open flower shows, and attend prizegivings. In addition to all that, for nine or ten months' while the IM.P. was' busy on an -investigation she personally opened* correspondence and sent out replies and-posted the rest to her husband to answer as he went along . First Public Speech The horror of making a public speech had departed by the end of the first term of office, and after the second victory of the Labour Party m 191318 many things assumed the right proportion. After (Social Security legislation was introduced several months were a nightmare. Officials were not yet conversant with the clauses in the Act and mistakes were made. This woman said that she wrote many letters for widows, old age pensioners, deserted wives, invalids and cripples.

“At one time,” she added, M I am sure I could have recited the Social Security. Act backwards. Now, anomalies are being 'hammered out and there is more scope than there was at first.” After that came the war. 'M.P.’s and their wives were even busier than before. But in spite of it all this wife managed to knit between 200 ami 300 garments for the Forces and quite a considerable number for the Ladj Galway Guild. 'She said that it had been demonstrated under the Labour Government that the face of society could be changed without anybody losing his 'life. “I do hope that in that little bit of heaven reserved for M.P.’s' wives I shall have no earthly memories,” she concluded. “I hope I shall meander about on a celestial donkey, weeding celestial rockeries and planting lilies for the Lord.”