WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11399, 17 April 1899, Page 5

WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL.

(Pjw Uhitjbs Pkess Association.)

AUCKLAND, April _3.

At the National Council of Women ol New Zealand at the afternoon session Mra Daldy proposed and Mrs Williaiflson seconded the following motions, re the Upper House: —" That a reform in the method of nomination and appointment of members to the Upper House is urgently needed. (2) That this Council recommends that members of the Upper House should be elected directly by the people, the number limited to half the number of the Lower House." - ,

The resolutions were carried by a majority. Mrs Sheppard proposed and Mrs Williamson seconded —"That the members of the Upper House be elected by the Hare system. The motion was adopted. ifrs Daldy proposed and Mrs Dewar seconded —"That to mitigate the evils which arise from the present system of ap- j pointments to the civil service a bojird be appointed directly by the House of Representatives, such board to have sole power to appoint all civil servants." This motion was also carried by! a large majority. Proposed by Mrs Fletcher, seconded by Mrs Sievwright:—"That the Old-Age Pensions Act be so -amended that the ) sole qualifications of recipients be a 25 years' residence in the colony, and ?. certified .age of 65 years." Carried by a large majority. In the discussion on the resolution condemning party government, Mrs Williamson, who moved the resolution, said it was a. relic of a fighting instinct of mankind. Mrs Wells said although we in .New Zea. land boasted of our representative power, we were, she held, very far from possess-/ ing real representation. Men were elected . to oppose or support one man. Mi's Niccol referred to women canvassing at elections, and strongly deprecated the practice of women canvassing for a pay of 12s 6d per day. Mrs Daldy said Mrs Niccol's statement was too true. Mrs Fletcher did,-not consider that any one man should be given so much power as a Premier had. Mrs May objected to the present system because a representative was a slave to his party and he was not a free man, therefore not a true man. Mrs Kirkby said she was most emphatically in favour of party government. Mrs Tasker thought the squabble for the loaves and fishes would be worse than ever if the party system were done away with. The motion was adopted by 16 votes to 4. The motion in favour of an elective Executive was carried by 15 to 5. In the discussion on Mrs Sheppard's paper on the economic independence of married women, the speaker answered some of the most frequent objections to the proposals for economic independence of women, and claimed that the putting into force of the principle she advocated would elevate woman to her proper position, and would place her altogether on a more satisfactory footing as regards money matters. Mrs Sievwright read a draft bill submitted to the council last year, dealing with the economic independence of women. The bill proposed that every man and wife should tie deemed to be separate persons in respect of thoir estate ; that the husband's earnings should form a common fund for the household expenses,'&c, and that the wife could, if she desired, require her share to be paid to her separately or to her credit in a bank. Miss Garstin (Christchurch) also read a paper on this subject, and in the course of her remarks she said that the proposals for the economic independence would ensure that a woman would be responsible for her own debts, and that a man could not hand property over to his wife so as to avoid paying his liabilities. Mrs Williamson (Wanganui) also spoke, and said she did not think the new proposal would interfere much with men, except in cases where the husbands inconsiderately spent their money in drink or in other ways, and left their wives and children without sufficient means of support. Mrs Boyd, Mrs Tasker, Mrs Niccol, and Mrs Wells also spoke.

CASUALTIES.

(Pm Unitid Priss Association.)

WELLINGTON, April 15.

. Mr H. A. Engall, in charge of the note department of the Bank of New Zealand, died suddenly in a 'bus while coining from Worser Bay this morning. He leaves a widow - and one child. Heart disease is supposed to have been the cause. April 16.

'At the inquest on the child Douglas Ross, who died on Friday, the post mortem confirmed the evidence that the child had consumed whisky. It appears that the boy, who was only four and a-half years old, was left alone in bed, when the parents rose in the morning. Subsequently he was heard moving about the house, and by some means became possessed of a bottle' containing whisky, which had been left in another room. The child; partook of the contents, and convulsions ensued, resulting in death. It is supposed he must have consumed about 4oz. A verdict of death from alcoholic poisoning, the result of misadventure, was returned.

A child named Edward Howett, whose parents-.reside in Boulcott street, died today from burns- .received last night. It appears, the mother had just bathed the child; aiid'while standing in front of the fire his" nightclothes cauglit fire, and the little !sii_ferer was burned to such an extent that he succumbed.

.TIMARU, April 15. ' A man about 50 years of age, a German itinerant umbrella-mender, whose,name has not been ascertained, though he is known to many hy sight, was found dead in a shed near Timaru this morning. He had not ■been seen alive since Thursday evening. The medical evidence on the post mortem showed that death was due to inflammation of the lungs, accelerated by exposure. There was evidence that he was addicted to drink.

On Saturday a coloured man was found by a farmer named Butters lying dead on the sida of the road near Mount Cargill. The body, which appeared to have been dead for some days, was removed to the Normahby Hotel, there to await an inquest. Up to the present no one has been able to identify the body, but from what we can. ascertain a man answering to the description given by the police of the man found dead, was left behind when the American ship Norwood sailed in November last from here. He was frequently seen about the wharf carrying a small bag similar to a 251b flour bag, very like a bag found beside the body, in which were a few pairs of socks and an orange. The coloured man referred to visited the Sailors' Rest, but as he could not speak English nothing is known of his name or his antecedents. He, however, mentioned the Philippines on one occasion, and as the Norwood sailed from Manila to New York prior to sailing for Dunedin, it is just possible that he is tt native of those islands.

— The most common name for a place in __.ngland-.iß Newton, which occurs no fewer ,ha.n 72 times.