WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17948, 15 November 1918, Page 6

WOMEN IN PARLIAMENT.

In.an interview in Wellington ■ Mrs Kineton Parkes referred to the overwhelming vote allowing women to sit in Parliament. Mrs Kineton Parkes, who has been so intimately associated with tho woman suffrage movement at Home, expressed as much amazement as delight that it should have come so quickly and with such a majority in its favour. " It is only about three, months ago that Niss Nina Boyle decided to test the matter of the eligibility of women to become members, of "Parliament by standing for an electorate, r.nd when the highest authority was taken in the matter it was decided that women were not eligible. Hod it been, other women would have, come forward, among them Mrs Philip Snowden ;nd Miss Mary Mac-Arthur.". , Mrs Parkes again expressed surprise that England, so intensely conservative by nature and slow in making political innovations, should have moved so quickly at the last. Mrs Parkes considered that social legislation would claim a large share of their attention. "For years," she said, "women have been fighting to get action taken in regard to infantile mortality, which has been excessively' high, and because of their political helplessness nothing could be done. Since tho war, however and its consequent' drain upon the life of tho nation's manhood, an awakening had taken place, and a great deal was beinp- clone to preserve infant life. They had to get further than that! however, to get at tho bad housing, tho bad food, and the conditions < under which people worked in the big cities, all of T.lu'ch were largely responsible ter the Hgh death-rate." It is rather interesting : to remember that at tho Danish elections, held early in tho year, at which : women had the vote for tho first t ; me,' a majority of Radicals and Liberals were returned to Parliament, a- fact which may or may not be indicative of the political trend of women's mlncTin general. ,