VISIT OF SOCIAL WORKER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22143, 24 June 1935, Page 3

VISIT OF SOCIAL WORKER

PROBLEMS OF THE MAORI A visitor to Auckland at tho end of last week was Mrs. H. D. Bennett, of Wellington, who, it may be remembered, was deputy-leader of the New Zealand delegation to the Pan-Pacific conference at Honolulu last year. Mrs. Bennett is keenly interested in all problems which affect women and children, especially those of the Maori race. She is acting-president of the National Board of the Y.W.C.A. in New Zealand and while in Auckland assisted in the welcome to Miss Jean Begg at the Y.W.C.A. by the Auckland women's organisations. In an interview prior to her departure for Wellington Mrs. Bennett referred to the strong desire of women social welfare workers that youth and its problems should be more closely considered and that more systematic steps should bo taken to protect unemployed women and girls against destitution. Mrs. Bennett spoke of the splendid work done by the late Mrs. E. 11. McCombs, M.P., and regretted that she had not longer been spared to carry on tho work so well begun. " The economic distress among members of the Maori community is most acute in many quarters," said Mrs. Bennett, " but a great deal could be done to relieve this were members of tho various women's organisations to unite in helping their Maori neighbours." Mrs. Bennett's work is a very telling example of what can be done by a woman representing the Maori race in co-operation with other representative women. In addition to her many years of work for the Y.W.C.A., she is an active member of tho Pan-Pacific Women's Association, of the Wellington Women's Institute Centre and of the Wellington Women's Social Progress Movement.