Reform League Women’s Auxiliary

Northland Age, Volume 1, Issue 4, 30 October 1931, Page 5

Reform League Women’s Auxiliary

Organising in Bay Electorate For the past week Mrs. A. E. Harding and Miss Ada Coates have been touring the Far North on an organising mission to form branches of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Reform League. Last Thursday they spoke at Peria and Mangonui, on Friday at Fairburn, Takahue and Victoria Valley, on Saturday at Awanui and Kaingaroa, and on Tuesday at Waihopo and Houhora, having a very cordial reception at all the places visited.

On Wednesday afternoon they addressed a meeting in the Kaitaia Parish hall, where there was a large attendance of ladies with a sprinkling of men. Mrs. F. Holder presided and introduced the speakers. Miss Ada Coates, who has a very quiet and pleasant platform manner, outlined the aims and object's of the Women’s Auxiliary. In the past women had been largely content to leave political affairs to their menfolk, but now they were taking a hand in the decision of political issues and the securing of a just and efficient form of Government. For that, political education was necessary to enable them -to form wise and broad views, and it was the object of the Women’s Auxiliary to supply that education so that they would not form wrong ideas through ignorance. Though but two and a half years old, the idea had been taken up with enthusiasm, and the organisation would count for a great deal during the coming election. Mrs. A. E. Harding, who is a very clear and forceful speaker, with the happy knack of getting into immediate touch with her audience and enlivening her discourse with a little quiet humour, spoke of the great growth of women’s organisations during and since the war, and the great work they had accomplished and were accomplishing. She said the help of women was much needed to put the country on a better and more prosperous basis. While men came to conclusions by a slow and often painful system of reasoning, women had a way of going direct to conclusions, of putting their finger on the spot, which would be of great benefit in politics. She did not need to remind her audience of the present position of the primary producers, and the great need of putting them in a more satisfactory position by the reduction of costs, the strengthening of the ties that bound us to the Mother Country and the lowering of the barriers that keep us apart. To do that united action was necessary, they must link up with a strong party, and win over a section of the city voters to their viewpoint. For if they took the whole of the country vote, including towns under 1000 population, they were outvoted by the larger cities by two to one. She was a strong supporter of the Farmers’ Union and recognised the necessity of political action through a country bloc such as was attempted to be formed in 1920, but regretted the formation of a separate Country

Party as a source of weakness, since all its objects could be better realised through the Reform Party. After a graceful reference to the present member for the Bay of Islands, she said it was necessary to combine high ideals and lofty dreams with practical common sense. This would be woman’s contribution to politics, and if men did not profit by it they might try the effect of a * parliament of women. Mrs. Harding sat down amid applause and after a short speech from Major Robertson, the Reform organiser, it was resolved to form a central branch of the organisation at Kaitaia, to which the other centres in the county, save Peria and Mangonui, who desire to form a separate branch, would be affiliated. An organising committee was appointed with Mrs. F. Holder as convenor, the permanent officials are intended to be appointed at the next meeting.