MORALITY OF COUNTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20725, 19 November 1930, Page 13

MORALITY OF COUNTRY.

PROTEST AGAINST BOOK. NEED OF INVESTIGATION. MINISTER MEETS WOMEN. [BY TELEO'RAFH. —OWN conRESrONPENT. ] WELL I NViTOX, Tuesday. The allegation made !«y Mr. A. (}. Butchers in his book "Education in New (hat (lip. first- child of every third girl will ho conceived out of wedlock was to day challenged l>v a deputation to the. Minister of Education, tho Hon. H. A (more, from tlio Parliamentary watch committeo of tho National Council of Women of New Zealand. It was contended that the statement was illogical and iu>t justified by tho data supplied by tho Government [Statistician and that it was a slur on tho young people, of New Zealand. Tho Minister, in reply, said ho sympathised with the. deputation, but ho stated that tho Government had no power over tho book. 'I ho deputation was introduced by Mr. R. A. Wright., M.P., who said that ho hoped tho Government Statistician would in future add an explanatory noto to tho figures in tho Year Book, in order that misleading deductions might not bo made. Tho president of tho Wellington branch of tho National Council of Women, Mrs. A. R. Stone, said tho watch committeo was really the. mouthpiece of tho women of' New Zealand. They maintained that tho position was not as bad as stated by Mr. Butchers. The statistics could bo twisted and tho figures given in tho Year Book were not sufficient to justify tho conclusions drawn. Book Subsidised by Government. For instance, there was a large number of women, who, married or unmarried, were childless, and tho Government Statistician's figures did not all refer to first births. Somo of tho subsequent births referred to the same woman. The book had the approval of the Minister of Education and had been subsidised by the Government. That would doubtless givo it a standing outside the Dominion. In fairness to tho womanhood of New Zealand, they asked that tho statement bo expunged from, tho book and that none other than the expurgated editions bo permitted to go out of or bo sold in tho Dominion.

Mrs. W. Perry man stressed the need for women police who were beyond the experimental stage. They had been an unqualified success in other countries. Tho worhen also asked for purer films and posters. A necessary reform in the Dominion was the segregation of abnormal. It was necessary to keep the human race as thoroughbred as farm stock.

They also asked for tlio registration of the father's namo where paternity was established, with or without his consent. Mrs. M. H. Chat field said indignation against the statement made by Mr. Butchers was widespread and very deep, and she was glad that he was not a New Zeal.mder. They wished to know what course the Minister proposed to take to meet the serious situation and they urged that a conference bo called by the Government to investigate thoroughly this most important matter, to sift, the allegations carefully and decide on a course of action which would check the undoubted tendency toward loose morality. Deductions Not Believed.

"I may say at once that I do not believe in the deductions made by Mr. Butchers," s.aid Mr. At more in reply. The book, he "Said, was ,1 most valuable work and it was unfortunate that the st-itements had been made. From the. Australian Year Book the Minister quoted the percentages of extranuptial births in different countries, which showed that New Zealand was low in the list, the rate being below that of 14 leading countries. He did not believe that the present age was worse than any other. The Nev/ Zealand girls and boys challenged comparison with any others in the world.

A Government report of 1923 had stated that 50 per cent... of the children born in the Dominion were conceived prior to marriage and this was a very serious statement. Much of the trouble was the result of ignorance and a certain amount could be put down to subnormality. Not only would farm colonies have to be established for sub-normal girls, but factories in which they could work would also have to he established, in order that they might contribute to their upkeep. Both the previous Government and the present Government had recognised the value of Mr. Butcher's books, but. they had no power to censor them. It, was hoped, however, that tho denials of the allegations would counteract the false statements made. The Government had paid only a small subsidy toward the cost books and had no power over them. He, believed that a conference on the lines suggested by Mrs. Chafcfield might do a great deal of good and he would place the proposal before Cabinet.