WOMEN'S PROBLEMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21932, 16 October 1934, Page 10

WOMEN'S PROBLEMS

♦ RECENT PACIFIC CONFERENCE | . RETURN OF AUCKLANDER [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WELLINGTON, Monday One of the New Zealand delegates to the Pan-Pacific Women's Conference at Honolulu in August, Miss Ellen Melville, a member of the Auckland City Council, returned by the Makura today from San Francisco. Miss Melville, who represented the Federation of Women's Clubs of New Zealand, left Auckland in July, and, after the conference, visited portions of California. The purpose of the conference was to enable the" women of diverse nations to form a more sympathetic understanding one with another. "It was remarkable to discover," said Miss Melville, "how very similar wo found each other's problems, no matter to which race we belonged. The conclusion I formed was that even if one is a Japanese, a Korean, , an American or a New Zealander, we are all alike and that the real ground of similarity is the common level of the educational standard and cultural attainment." An interesting feature was the appointment of Mrs. Gauntlett, a fullblooded Japanese, as president of the next conference, which will take place in 1937, either in Japan or Canada. Mrs. Gauntlett is the wife of an Englishman resident in Japan. In California Miss Melville lectured to students at Mill's College, and before the Californian Women's Club, her subject on each occasion being an outline of the history and democratic legislation of New Zealand. American people, she said, had very little idea of where the Dominion was located. The majority still believed it to be part of Australia. Nevertheless, they were much interested to learn more about New Zealand. In California there was intense excitement over the forthcoming election of a Governor of the State. Mr. Upton Sinclair, who had been selected as Democrat candidate, was stirring the State with his famous catch-cry "Epic," meaning "end poverty in California." The more conservative Democrats were viewing the progress of Mr. Sinclair with some apprehension, and thoughtful people were alarmed at the trend of his politics.