WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15551, 7 March 1914, Page 8

WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC

PRESENT IN DOMINION.

STARTLING ALLEGATION.

STATEMENT BY NELSON LADY.

[BY TELEGRAPH.— PEESS ASSOCIATION.]

Gisborne, Friday. An address dealing with the white slave traffic was delivered to-day at the annual convention of the W.C.T.U. by Mrs. Field, a Nelson delegate. The lady described in a very forceful way the hori urs of the traffic and the manner in which young girls were caught and carried off by persons who regarded them simply as " bundles of merchandise."

"This is a plain statement," said Airs. | Field. "This thing is no nightmare, but an awful hideous reality. A suggestion will come before us in the form of a resolution from the Nelson Union asking us to consider the advisability of wig a superintendent for this subject, to gather information, and also to suggest preventive measures. Whatever is decided on, I hope no woman will go from this convention feeling that this is a thing that does not concern her. It concerns us all, and we have it on fairly good authority that already this traffic has reached our shores, and that over 20 girls have disappeared recently. I wrote recently for information. May I here give you an extract from the letter I received? The writer says' Yes, girls are being stolen from New Zealand in connection with this infamous traffic. One of their agents, purporting to be with a "company," married a girl recently in the Bay of Islands, and that is the last that has been seen or heard of liei. 1- rankton Junction seems to bo the worst place. A man and his wife in th.it district are on the track of girls. One girl working for a ladv I met in Te Aroha narrowly escaped their clutches. They were in correspondence with her, offering better work, better wages, etc., and the girl was ready to accept, hut her uiietmsa saw one of the letters and suspected evil Sho immediately sent the girl back to her rents, and, when the man and his wile called to see "their little friend," her daughter, who was at home, to put. them off the scent, said the girl had gone to work for another family- in the town, but eho had forgotten the address. If they would call the next morning, when her mother was in. perhaps she might be able to get it. Her mother is a very firm woman, and she wanted to meet" them but they never returned. The girl is fit ill safely at home, hut as her home is near rankton Junction there is no tolling "°* r y be ma . v remain so. I here have been cases in Auckland that leave scarcely a shadow of doubt, but it is extremely difficult to trace the cadets, and so one can do but little publicly.

•' I he writer of this letter is doing what she can to warn parents and girls, but is not able to give as much time to it as she would wish. I believe wo are the largest and most influential women's organisation in tne Dominion, as we are in the world What are we going to do as an organisation, and what as ' individuals?"