WOMEN’S COUNCIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCVII, Issue 11227, 26 March 1897, Page 2

WOMEN’S COUNCIL.

ANNUAL CONVENTION. The Convention resumed its sittings at 2.30 p.m. yesterday, Mrs Tasker in the chair. Mrs Shorav (Liberal League, Auckland) and Mrs Kivkby (of the Democratic League, Auckland) joined the Convention. Mrs Cunnington gavean address on “ The Criminal Code and the Prison.” She said that he felt in the condition of a nurse who, having to visit a sick patient, sow no use in being gloomy. Speaking of the Infant Life Protection Act, she said that the children of the waifs and strays of our civilised life were now protected up to the ago of two years, when the Industrial Schools Act came in and finished the work. The machinery of the Act was good, but efficient supervision was badly needed. Until last session the Act was, badly framed, and it was unfair to tbrow tho care of children upon policemen, who knew nothing about babies. Now they had the police matron, whose duty it was to supervise tins, among other matters. All tho philanthropic institutions should lend their aid in this matter. Still, there were many children belonging to parents who were not criminal, and who badly ■wanted looking after. There was an increasing number of young girls in Christchurch of outrageous character, and known as • nobody s daughters.” They were of excitable disnositions, with will power abnormally developed, and their will power did not lead them in desirable directions. Tho aid of the law must he invoked, but would it not be better to look on tno lav/ as somewhat parental rather than as somewhat penal. A new clause had been dug up by the aid of a Christchurch detective, which enabled them to take charge of girls up to their eighteenth birthday. Until girls were liable to a term of imprisonment they did not come under that clause. But it that danse could bo worked in conjunction with the Vagrancy Act they could be satisfactorily dealt with. If a Bill could be passed giving discretionary power to the magistrates to commit them to some refoimatorv home up to the age of twenty-one much good might be done. But coaxing and coddling were no good. There were now such a number of reformatory homes and so many inmates in them that these homes ouo'ht tohe under State supervision. The lecturer- personally thought that no good would be done by raising the age ot consent above eighteen years. Another troublesome portion of the comnuimty were the old female inebriates, and diese must he dealt with. They caused untold mischief in the place, mischief which could hardly bo talked about, and must be brought under control. These old women got drunk, rolled about, and were everything that was horrid and dreadful. For these poor old habitual drunkards gaol was not tho plp.ee, for they were not criminals. They ought to be sent to inebriate or reformatory homes for long sentences. Say a woman had been up ten times for drunkenness a sentence of two years would not be too long. The Convention had beom accused of being impractical, but the lecturer had any amount of practical suggestions to bring forward. As to infanticide, she pointed out that a girl within a few months of her confinement was often not in a normal mental condition, yet was put in the same position as the ordinary murderer. In no healthy condition of animal life did any mother destroy her young, and no mentally sane woman would destroy her offspring. Men were as pitiful as women, and they would not convict in these cases. But there were reasons why the girl should not be turned loose on the community. There was generally a mental weakness on the part of the girl who neither provided clothes for her infant nor went to friends. The girl who committed infanticide did it through mental weakness, and should not go to o-aol, but ought to be put under the care of thoughtful, wise and loving women for at least twelve months. But these girls' should not go from tho courts free. They should he taught and trained in manv ways, and much might be done for them. Now for another subject. She was not going to talk of the Contagious Diseases Act, but hoped to see it done away with. Sho did not believe in the police raiding di reputable houses • or the prosecution off these poor girls. As to prisons, up to forty years ago the prevailing- idea was to punish crime. Hence onr big gaols and onr big law books. Though erfme decreased, the prisoners came back ; there was a recidivism in crime. Then there arose a class of thinkers who said, "Ton have made your theories without making notes of your facts, and you have twisted your facts to suit your theories. Italy, France, Russia and Germany had studied the sociology of crime, but England had failed to do so. They had found out the criminals’ methods and modes of thought, and had reduced these to a science. They had studied his ancestors, and then they had made an enormous advance. They then took up the question of environment, and then they found whero their criminal came from. His surroundings were terrible. Those great thinkers had defined the fact that a criminal was an abnormal person, the product of bad biological and social conditions. (Applause.) If - they put a man born of o-ood parents into unfavourable surroundings they often found a criminal. Twelve per cent of the criminals were the children of lunatics, 36 per cent the children of drunkards and 4 per cent the children of paupers. Bearing in mind that the average criminal was an abnormal person, was it any wonder that putting him into a whitewashed cell in one of our great gaols did not improve him? She did not think any habitual drunkards should be sent to gaol. With the exception of these, she did not think there were ten female prisoners in the gaols of New Zealand. She advocated the closing of two out of onr four gaols and keeping a third for criminal women. Why military discipline wasrequired to keep these poor distraught women sho could not understand. The system was to blame. In Mount Magdala and in the Salvation Army Home were the same class of women as we had in our gaols, and these could be managed without military discipline. The prison should bo managed by a Board composed equally of men and women—a Board that, for pity’s sake, should be unpaid. A few pictures in the room, a little tatting or crochet. The men, with the exception of reporters, were as kind as women. When the reporters got home it was impossible to predict what they would say. (Applause.) They must have lady justices of the peace. After two years of prison visiting, she found her occupation a sham; she had no more power than a mouse. In the hands of two visiting justices lay the power of punishing those poor frantic creatures who needed only kindness. These justices, in future, must be women—(applause)—and trained women with experience both of lunatic asylum and gaol. We could not manage criminals efficiently unless we brought to bear on them the same thought, the same scientific knowledge that we brought to bear upon hospital patients and insane persons. (Applause).

At the conclusion of the address the following resolution was moved by Mrs Sheppard, and seconded by Mrs Izett—- “ That in the opinion of this Council the age of protection should be twenty-one years.”

The address was spoken to by Mesdames Bullock, Simpson, May, Daldy, Williamson and Kirkby. Mrs Hendre believed in allround Justice, and did not believe in legislating for either sex. She did not want to see women protected at the expense of men. Whatever they did as women, let them stick to a broad platform of justice. No man loved men as women loved men, and the average man would do

justice to the woman who behaved herself.

In answer to a question, Mrs Hendre said that the average justice of the peace had no official training. Two wrongs, however, did not make a right, and she did not wish to see women also acting as justices without training. The President said she could trust her girls further than she could trust her boys. If a woman got a boy into trouble she ought to suffer for it. Mrs Sievwright agreed with the President. Mrs Sherar thought that the age of consent should be twenty-one for boys and girls alike. The President declared the motion carried by twelve to five. Mrs Sievwright then moved and Mrs Daldy seconded —“ That the time during which charges of criminality may Ire made he extended to fire mouths.” In reply to a question, the mover explained that the motion had reference to criminal assaults on young girls. Mrs Cunnlngton and Mrs Hendre supported the motion, which was carried. Mrs Daldy moved and Mrs Cunnington seconded—“ That in the opinion of this Council it should be declared illegal, and severely punishable, to permit any gh’l or young man under twenty-one years of age to be found in a house of ill-fame.” The motion was carried unanimously. The Convention adjourned at 4.32 p.m. till this afternoon.

CONVERSAZIONE. The Provincial Council Chamber was fairly crowded last night on the occasion of the conversazione held under the auspices of the Women’s Convention. Songs were contributed by Mesdames Eobiuson and Jennings, Miss Shanks and

Messrs Allen and Sidney Bell; and part songs by Miss Shanks, Mrs Jennings and Messrs Allen and W. S. Smith. Recitations wero given by bliss Freeman and Mr Winter Hall. During the evening a telegram was read from Mrs Hatton, .of Dunedin, regretting that ill-health prevented her attendance.