COUNCIL OF WOMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22847, 30 September 1937, Page 3

COUNCIL OF WOMEN

DOMINION CONFERENCE

ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT

NECESSITY FOR ORGANISATION

The fact that a groat part of the more important matters of the world were largely in the hands of women was stressed by Miss C. E. Kirk in her presidential address to the Dominion conference of the National Council of Women, which began its business session at. the Y.W.C.A. yesterdav afternoon. " It is impossible to gauge how far right thinking and right speaking on the part of the women of New Zealand, though so small and distant from the larger centres of the world, can influence those who have the final say in peace or war," said Miss Kirk. Need of Organisation Referring to the reforms for which the council had been working. Miss Kirk said that many of them were still appearing on the agenda paper for the conference. Among these were prison reform, equal pay for equal work, the economic independence of the married woman, the disabilities of women in the civil and political world and the need for women police. The fact that the council had failed in some of these reforms had been due to a lack of co-operation among women's societies, and also a lack of organisation within them.

Miss Kirk said she thought it would be well for women's societies to organise themselves so that at every election meeting there should be at least two members who would ask definite, wellprepared questions in regard to the reforms for which women were working. These questions should be asked at every meeting, even if already answered by candidates, or side-

stepped. A report of the work undertaken in the Dominion in the interests of peace was presented by Mrs. W. H. Cocker, representing the women's standing committee for peace and war. After referring to the discouragement felt at the weakness of the League of Nations, Mrs. Cocker outlined the activities that had been carried out in connection with young people, and also by various peace organisations. Remits Adopted Remits were adopted stressing the need for increased activity in bringing the work of the League of Nations and the League of Nations Union before members, and of strengthening relations between the council and the union in New Zealand. It was also urged that representation should be made to the Government that in future a qualified woman representative be included in the New Zealand delegations to the League of Nations Council at Geneva.

The council'also adopted a remit from Dunedin urging that it continue to demand the introduction of legislation providing for the training and employment of suitable women as police officers

Othsr remits adopted included requests to the Minister of Education to extend the work now being done for backward children, and provide accom-modation-for those from the country attending special classes in the larger towns.

A housing remit urged the Government to provide for the needs of middleaged self dependent women, and aged people of limited means who desire to remain in homes of their own.