CHILD WELFARE

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12298, 18 November 1925, Page 11

CHILD WELFARE

Last night a meeting called hy the National Council of Women, Wellington branch, was held in the Red Cross rooms to receive a report of the first International Child Welfare Conference held in Geneva by the Save the Children Fund. Mrs Forde presided. Miss A. Kane read a Teport of one of the sections, propaganda and education, which liad been attended by Miss D. Isaacs on behalf of the council. The council’s representative on Child Welfare, Miss Taylor, had been unable to attend. Lady Aberdeen had presided at this section, and it was she who had asked that the council consider these questions. The conference had been divided into three sections, medicine and hygiene, social welfare and administration, and education and propaganda. With regard to the first, resolutions passed were much on the lines of what is already being done in New Zealand. With regard to the second a number of papers had been submitted dealing with the mother and child, especially the unmarried mother, and the general recommendations of the conference were on the lines that the mother should be placed in a condition economically to keep her child and children at home. The new Swedish law with regard to the illegitimate child’s rights on the father’s income were quoted, and other instances in different countries. Mrs Henry Smith dealt with the third section, and gave a resume of an article on the instruction of children on the aims of the League of Nations. This instanced the many organisations through which the teaching of international goodwill was being carried out. ‘Ampng these were the Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Y.M. and Y.W.C.A.’s, Junior Red dross and others. Special text books in schools were advocated, and what New Zealand was doing in, this direction was quoted, and dinlomas and badges were also suggested for knowledge of international history, and also correspondence. Mrs Smith also dealt with other parts of the discussion, including raising money* for child welfare, in which she said the best advice given was to ask for it. Resolutions were passed at Geneva urging schools to take up the work of teaching the object of the League of Nations. A good deal of discussion followed, and some very interesting information wa9 supplied bv women working in child welfare in New Zealand, as well as what is done in other places. The meeting concluded with votes of thanks to the speakers and the chair.