NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11559, 21 April 1898, Page 5

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

[Pub. Pbess AssocamoKj,. WELLINGTON, Aeafiff 26/, The-National Council of Women of Bfotri Zealand opened to-night. The fo&nringl societies were affiliated and represented at] the meeting:—Dunedin Tailoresses’ Uinon;', Dunedin Fabian Society, Cfflcteitmrjf Women’s Institutet, Christchurch Fabian! Society, Christchurch Progressive Liberal] Association, Christchurch Women's P&Efci-; cal Association, Australasian Society fori Social Ethics, New Zealand Women’s Chris-1 tian Temperance Union, Wellington Demo-! cratic Union, Wellington Southern Gross] Society, Wellington Workers’ Unkai, Wei-1 lington Philanthropic Society, Wanganui' Women’s Political League, Gisborne Wo-1 men’s Political League, Auckland' Womert’ti Political League, Auckland Womerffi; Liberal League, Auckland Women’s Dwno-j cratic Union, Auckland Women’s Pofittcai' Reform League. The officers are:-—PresL; dent, Mrs Shephard; vice-presidents,; Mesdames Daldy, Sievwright, Tasker and!' Hatton; honorary secretary, Mrs WeQsri honorary treasurer, Mrs Kirkby. The Pxesi- 1 dent delivered an address, as did Mis Tasker, 1 : the local vice-president. The reports of the Secretary and Treasurer were also presented,! Mrs Tasker, vice-president, in her address, said with reference to the large .in-; crease in divorce cases, that tins proved that! a large number of marriages were not a] success, and parents must giro their' daughters an education which would make them self-reliant, and marriage a secondary, consideration. There should he no two; schools of morals between the sexes, nnd ! sons should not be taught that they -are 1 superior beings. The Hon W. M. Bolt wrote a lettarto«i3ie Council on the question of co-operative ia-j dustrial settlements, and detailing his efforts, last session. He regretted that nothing had been done; also the apathy of the workersfin connection with the subject. Mrs Shephard, the president, in her report, thought that by the National Council of Women meeting in several centres in the colony by tirm there was a reasonable hope to create interest in the work undertaken by the Council, and dispel some of the misapprehensions felt concerning its aims. She went on to say that most of the Uouncai were mothers, and the most rabid among them desired nothing more than the privileges that are freely given to their sons. The Coundi simply asked for fair play between man and women, and for power to protect their homes and educate their children. The Council,, she said, regretted that various measmceof reform for which they had hoped had been sacrificed, mainly to .and party, strife. She felt that they could not ham good government until they had the electwe executive and representatives were chosen by the Hate system. She regretted that there was an increasingly huge number of neglected children growing up in the country, not only without moral training, but in ignorance of secular education. The remedy was, no doubt, surrounded by difficulties, - but she thought one of the first of xsocieties of women was to look after uncaredfor children. Prison reform was next touched , on, and Mrs Shephard said that it was a reproach to the community that no attempt had been made to change the prison system from a punitive to a remedial one. Sir© urged that the Government should giro a reason for not appointing women as visiting ; justices to prisons, and also urged the appointment of women to Charitable Aid and Hospital Boards. She sincerely regretted , that the C.D, Act was still on the Statute Book, and further, that during last year! at the instigation of some medical men, an attempt was made to pass a new Act of tire same nature. Good morals and good -ealth, she argued, went together, and it was useless to expect the latter while the former-was disregarded. After the Secretary’s and the Treasurer’s reports, the latter’ showing a small credit balance, had been read, the conference,adjourned until to-morrow.

fEBOii Oun GobrespokdentJ WELLINGTON, April '2O, The National Council of Women held Sts first public meeting in Bellamy’s this evening, when, in addition to the delegates, there was a large attendance of the public, including some members of Parliament apd other prominent men. Some, I believe, went to scoff mildly in their own minds; bat I know they went away admiring the geod sense, the insight and business-like methods of the members of the Council. Almost tha only thing which a critic would have taken serious exception to was the apologetic mental attitude that now and then manifested itself, as though it were necessary to excuse the existence of the Council and the aim and efforts of its members and supporters. This u note ” will no doubt disappear in due time. Mrs Tasker, as a vice-presi-dent, resident in Wellington, welcomed the delegates, and said that men need have no fear of women as a body ever neglecting husbands, their children or their homes, though one thing involved in the movement was that the moral code now applicable to women should be obligatory also on men. The president, Mrs Shephard, gave an address. She referred to the scheme of Sister Frances for dealing with neglected children, to the Government’s action with regard to the appointment of women visiting justices and to the attempt which was being made to revive the C.D. Act. This attempt Mrs Shephard condemned, and she characterised the Governments alleged reasons for not appointing women as visiting justices as lame and inconclusive. She humorously referred to the Council’s meeting in Bellamy's as being perhaps prophetical of the not distant taiu* when women, as citizens amLmembers of the commonwealth, would sit as representatives within the precincts of PartEunerab itself. Mrs Wells, as secretary, read the animal report, and also -a long letter frian <he H»n W. M. Bolt on the subject of cooperative settlements. Mr Bolt, in effect,’ blamed the working men themselves for tho indifference winch public men displayed in regard to those settlements. Mrs Blake pointedly reminded the Council that Mr Bdt appeared to be strangely oblrviousof the fact that a conference oii the subject of cteopeptive settlements had been held in 1 Christchurch, and that the matter was in no sense hsing neglected, at least not by the representative workers of Christchurch. The Council got through .with all the bnsnwa of the eveningma little mare than -anhour.: