WHITE SLAVERY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 10 March 1914, Page 5

WHITE SLAVERY

MRS FIELD IN REPLY.

(United Pbess Association.)

GISBORNE. March 9. Mrs T. A. H. Field, of Nelson, to-day Replied -to Superintendent iKely's statement in regard to her address before the W.C.T.TJ. Convention on white slavery : "I had no idea/' said Mrs Field, "that my paper on the subject was going to receive snch publicity, but I do not regret- it in the least, as it will arouse people to a- knowledge of what is undoubtedly going on in this country, and there is no better way of removing evils than by having the light of publicity shine on them. Of course I cannot personally vouch for the Auckland cases, as I was only informed of them. 'but I have no reason to doubt the evidence of the person who made the charges. "I heard," continued Mrs Field, "a rumour to the effect that such things were going on in the north, and I wrote for particulars. ' The letter I included in my paper was the result. Since _it has. become known that I have been interesting myself in the subject people have come to me and given me specific instances, which point only too clearly to the fact that- there is need for prompt measures being taken to stop attempts that' are being made to lure young girls to destruction. ■* "To show you that I am not the only person who "believes that trafficking is going on in New Zealand," went on Mrs Field, "I need only mention* that 'The Dominion' newspaper a short time ago saw fit to. publish a; full column article on this very subject. Now, when a reputable city "daily sees fit to devote so mnch space to such a subject it is apparent that there is good^reason to be Eeve that such, a thing exists." X "San you give any specific instances; inquired, the reporter. '-" "I can. give you several,"'Mrs Field "at once replied." was a case not. so long ago where a girl answered an .advertisement, for a typist. That girl called on the address given, and found that all the office contained was a typewriter and a girl typist. The man who had inserted the advertisement wantedihejrrrl to pay a good round sum and join him in the business.. The girl's father, however, refused to sanction Such a'proposal. Some time afterwards another advertisement appeared stating that if the young lady who had called applying for a typiste's position would .call again the position was open for her. . In the. meantime the girl who had been Engaged at this particular office, called on the'mother of the jrirl who had ap- . plied, and told her on no account to al- : -low her daughter to enter the office. -TEe caller-had an alarming story to rebate. • She said- she had answered a si-=mslar-advertisement to the one which iad recently appeared. The man who kept the office told a plausible tale of a lucrative business, and had offered to take: her into partnership"if she would --put a: certain sum into the business. She paid over the money, and some time afterwards the' man told her that he wanted her to proceed to a place by train in order to type certain documents there. The girl left by the train, and was somewhat surprised when she had proceeded some distance- to find that her partner . was also on the train. Arriving at he -told her \o goto a certain hotel, and on going, there found to her horror that the man had only engaged a single Toom, and had entered their names in the hotel reerister as husband and wife._ The girl, -who had spirit, defied the man to enter her room, and in the morning' returned

•"This," said Mrs Field, "is only one ~6f many similar cases which I have been - told of. It is very hard to get proof even in cases where evidence is almost overwhelming. Another case -which -shows how attempts are made to efntrap respectable girls occurred in Ghrcstchurch7and the facts were related to me onthe best authority. Two girls travelled in ChristchuTch together seeking emplovment. Thev hired a cab, and requested the driver to take them to a respectable boarding-house. Be drove them to a house which the girls did rot Eke the look of. and disliked the appearance of the woman who received them. Thev said the rooms did not suit, ■and went Back to the cabman.. and told him that unless he drove them at once to a respectable house they would report him. He UKa so, and on making inquiries later, the-girls confirmed their suspicions that the house they had first been taken to -was a brothel. ~ '.* Another case I might mention occurred in Wellington, and I also have this on reliable authority. A youns girl missed a' train at a suburban station, and found that she had to wait some timei for the next one. ' While waiting on the railway station she was approachfid by a well-dTessed" woman; who is by jio means -unknown in Wellington, and invited to come and have a cup of tea. They had. not been long in the refresh - ment -room when they weTe joined by a man whom the-woman introducpd a<= her brother. Wine was produced. n^d - the girl invited to have a gla.=<=.- Phe • replied that she seldom touched wine. but on being pressed was oh the point of - consenting, when she interested a \_there was no mistaking it—pass J>e- : tween the woman and the man. The girl "fled for her life, and was lucky in "escaping.

AUCKLAND. March 9.

In consequence of the fact that Auckland citv and Tjrovinee have been prominentlv associated lately -with statements about .-white slavery, a pressman mode extensive inauiries,* not onlv anions the police, but also among societies, and individuals, who v work among poor and criminal classes. The police state that thev have b*>en unable to discover any instances of th<= disaopearance of eirl= due to the aliped traffic, moreover, although it is stated that cases have occurred, __ they hav<» not received either complaints or requests to. investigate. Several Auckland women,, whose Ipbourirings them in. contact ■with' a : stm* number of eirls. were questioned. Tnr concensus of opinion was that, there aDDeaTs to be no organised effort in trafficMns in girls here yet. th<re have been, enoueh isolated instances of attempts to lure girls away from their homea to put" everv yoim? -woman on hf>r goard, and to "make Tier very wary in her dealings with strangers. Another woman who meets and helos jnanv efrls coming to the.city in search of work, snid that cases of -what "wa« suspiTiouslv like white slavery, but although she made inquiries 5n both inrtances. the evince was too slender to institute proceedinss.