W.C.T.U.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19012, 7 November 1923, Page 5

W.C.T.U.

DISTRICT CONVENTUAL THREE BUSY SESSIONS. A district convention of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was held in the Hanover Street Sunday School Hall yesterday i morning, afternoon, and evening. The President (Mrs W. 11. Hiett) presided over a large attendance of delegates. After all had taken part in opening devotional exercises, Mrs Hiett extended a hearty welcome to the delegates. She ex--splained that the Dunedin Union would no longer I> o called the District Union, but the District Union extended as before from Oamaru to Balcluthu, all the branches being on equal footing. She explained the main purpose of the convention to give them strength and inspiration to carry on the great fight against the liquor traffic in the certainty that right must ultimately triumph. She also drew attention to the evils of gambling, and urged them to take a firm stand against raffling in every form. The contest in which they were engaged was a world-wide one, and they were carrying it on in the name and the power of God. Mrs M’Cartnoy was appointed mistress of courtesies for the day. Reports from eaqli union were read by representatives of these unions. Mrs Downing presented the annual report of the Dominion union, which showed that the membership was steadily increasing and now stood at 349. Satisfactory reports were also received from Kaikorai, Balclutha, Mosgiel. North-East Valley, Oarnaru, Port, Chalmers, Sawyers’ Bay, and South Dunedin. The North-East Valley branch recommended that the convention bo hold earlier in the year, as November was a very busy month for most of those concerned. Several branches reported that they had joined the League of Nations’ Union. Mrs Don, in speaking to the reports presented, drew attention to the importance of adequately supporting the organising fund.—The reports were adopted. MOTIONS ON PUBLIC QUESTIONS. On the motion of Miss Begg, seconded by Mrs 11. H. Driver the following resolution was adopted:—“That this district convention of the W.C.T.U. held at Dunedin urges the Government to enforce the law relating to temperance instruction in primary schools; further, that this convention inform the Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister of Education, of its desire that this temperance instruction be made an examination subject.” Mrs Driver said she thought they could not sufficiently stress the point that temperance should be made an examination’ subject, because it was to the examination subjects that the teachers paid most attention. Mrs W. R. Don pointed out that they could largely control this matter by electing sympathetic school committees. If scientific temperance was made a subject for examination, the teachers would have to teach it. They knew that many of the schools had never had the special instruction sheets on their walls. Miss Powell said that many of the country schools tequired looking after in this matter, as the wall sheets were frequently not used. Mrs Downing moved—“ That this convention emphatically protests against the neglect of the Government to remove the bar which prevents women from (1) appointment as justices of the peace; (2) inclusion upon juries; (3) employment as police patrols.” Mrs Downing said it would be a great convenience to many women to have women justices of the pence to go to. It was high time that women had a place bn juries, especially in cases where women and children were concerned. Women had done excellent work as police patrols in other countries and they could do so here. The resolution was adopted. Mrs P. Dick moved—“ That this convention urges upon the Government the necessity for devising some scheme under which persistent defaulters in the matter of maintenance orders may be compulsorily employed upon remunerative work ami their earnings devoted to the support of their dependants.” Mrs Don said that many of the type of men referred to openly boasted that they would not pay anything under the order the court made against them. It was time the Government did something to compel men to keep their wives and families. Mrs Hiett said every month a numlicof these cases came before the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, and it was constantly pushing for a farm colony The resolution was adopted. Miss Powell moved—“ That this convention asks the W.C.T.U. of ' the United States of America to urge their Government to give its support to the League of Nations.” Miss Powell said (hat she did not know if they all realised the immense influence of the W.C.T.U. in America. They wore all most anxious that America should come into the League. which bad thoroughly justified its existence in many ways, and the W.C.T.U. could do much to bring this about. Mrs Don suggested that the resolution be sent, first to the annual convention for transmission to America, and this course was adopted. The convention also adopted the two following resolutions : —“This convention expresses its indignation and sorrow that a movement has been instituted to secure the introduction of liquor licenses into the King Country, and it calls upon the Government not to entertain a proposal which means the final repudiation of the sacred pledge given to the Maoris that intoxicating liquors would not bp per rnitted in the Kimr Country. This convention urges the Government to see that the law to the introduction of liquor into the King Country is strictly enforced. Further, the convention calls upon the unions to urge (his matter upon the attention of_ the Government and all members of Parliament. ’ The following resolution was sent forward by Mrs Judson, superintendent of the Peace Department—“ That this convention recommends that a special day be set apart every year by unions for the consideration of matters in connection with peace and the arbitration department.” The convention was asked to say whether it thought the third Monday in May or the second in November was the more suitable for a special lime of prayer about peace. The convention decided to recommend the May date. Mrs Judson also enclosed a pamphlet, entitled “Disarm the Nursery,” emphasising the danger of giving warlike toys to children. AFTERNOON SESSION. The delegates were entertained at lunch at the Y.M.C.A. by Mr C. Todd, president of the United Temperance Reform Council. ‘ There was a largely increased attendance at the afternoon session at which the North-East Valley Union conducted opening devotional exercises. A solo (“II Bacio”) was contributed by Mrs D. Scott, organiser of the United Temperance Reform Council, addressed the convention, and quoted writers who declared that if it had not been for the W.C.I.U. prohibition would never have been carried in America. If it had not been for systematic temperance teaching in the American schools they would never have got as far as they had. They would get the victory only by all the temperance forces uniting and working together. Once the churches saw that this fight was their fight “booze” would be put out of the land. He explained the plan on which the temperance foi'ces had been organised, and asked for the help of the W.C.T.U. in collecting funds. They had sot themselves the aim of a Band of Hope in connection with every church, so that their young popole might be thoroughly instructed iu the principles of temperance. He proposed the holding of a temperance picnic in January and a series of fetes or bazaars. The forcing of liquor into the King Country would lead to the extinction of the Maori race, and must be prevented at all hazards. He submitted the following resolution “Whereas the pcpole are entitled to deride the liquor question by a direct vote between continuance and prohibition without the intervention of any third issue, and whereas the issue of State purchase and control has failed in two elections to secure oven 6 per cent, of the total votes cast, this convention demands that the issue of State purchase and control he removed from the ballot, and that in future the issues continuance and prohibition he alone submitted to the electors, and resolves to use every means to secure this end. and further, that the secretary be instructed to send copies of his resolution to the Prime Minister and local members of Parliament.” The motion was seconded and carried unanimously. After afternoon tea had been enjoyed. Miss Jean Begg addressed the convention on social work among young girls in New York. She expressed Ihe view that discussion was much more to the point than an address at such a _ convention, and she (rusted that full discussion would follow. She spoke of the wonderful Sabbath calm and peacefulness of the previous Sunday m Dunedin, and contrasted it with the wild rush of people in the great American cities

on Sundays. Social workers in New Zealand had to bo ail-round social workers, and they could not well specialise in one department, as was customary in America. Little towns like Palmerston or Mosgiel would have a community centre with a trained community organiser, who worked in conjunction with all the churches and organised uie social activities of the community, alien there were child welfare experts who learned how to co-operate with all the other existing organisations caring for young peoplq, There was also the family and the industrial welfare work, psychiatric social science, or the science of human behaviour and criminology and penology. The majority of the great social workers in America were women, and they wore doing very fine pieces of work. The free clinics at which the most distinguished medical exports gave freely and generously of their time examining and helping delinquent and erring girls were exceedingly valuable, and she trusted that work of this kind inight be extended here. She went on to describe her work for the Girls’ Protective League and as a policewoman in the theatre district of New York, and said that even in the very worst slums of New York at night she had never once met a drunken man of whom she might, have been afraid. Another part of her duty was the enforcement of the law of compulsory notification of venereal disease under which men and women against whom complaint was made were compelled to undergo medical treatment. She further described the work of the probation department -and of the court of domestic relations. She was anxious to see more co-operation among all the social agencies of (he city. At Inwood House she studied the causes of delinquency in girls, and the problem girl hero was not very different from the problem girl there'though (ho percentage in New York was very much higher. At the same time there were far too many such girls here for them to be happy about. Their experience had taught her the great value of co-ordina-tion ami co-operation in social effort and the value of the prevention of delinquency. Among the causes of delinquency she set down home life misunderstandings, bad housing conditions, unwholesome environ ment, wrong kind of friends, lack of recreation, and strong drink. She had seen more harm done to young girls by drinking since she had returned to New Zealand than she had seen in all her life before. New Zealand was the land of opportunity. Speaking of the recent Children s Exhibition and what it ought to lead to she said they should aim at having every ohila in the public school in the Sunday School and overv Sundav School child a member of the Band of Hope. The Band of Hope should bo in the Sunday School and not an additional organisation. At the close of her address Mias Begg answered a number of questions and was most heartily thanked for her address. The election of officers for the ensuing year resulted as follows: —President, Mrs W. H. Hiett; secretary, Miss Smith; treasurer, Mrs M’Cartney. EVENING SESSION. \ TWO INTERESTING ADDRESSES. At the evening session, over which Mrs Hiett again presided, two solos were contributed by Miss Armit and Miss Nikander. . Mr H. -S. Adams, of the United Temperance Reform Council, spoke on the subject of corporate control, and urged the importance* of the study of it. One of their duties was so to study the problem that such a proposal as corporate control could never be raised. To his mind the most remarkable thing about the proposal was that it should be made at all. He believed that their greatest difficulty in New Zealand was political. The actual position in the United States Senate was that 502 senators were in favour of Prohibition and 163 were anti-Prohibition. He traced the source of American Prohibition to the fact that .a largo political majority had first been secured to see it through. Mr Adams next outlined the history of the corporate control proposal emanating from a small group of Anglican clergymen in Auckland, and argued from recent polling figures that there was no body of opinion in New Zealand desiring State Control. Ho drew pointed attention to the conference in Wellington over the corporate control proposal, when three Anglican clergymen and an Anglican layman from. Auckland met representatives of brewers, wine and spirit merchants, hotelkeepers, wine growers, owners of hotel premises, and the Moderate League. It was not an independent proposal at all but a proposal engineered and fostered by the Trade. The request to put the corporate control proposal on the ballot paper was practically a request to give the Trade two votes. The corporate control proposal meant that the Trade gave some' 20 per cent, of their capital as a bribe to the Government to prolong its life and parted with the direct control of its business. It was clear that no one else but the Trade could stand behind such a proposal. The proposal offered no inducement whatever to reduce the incitement to drink and the risks of drunkenness, and therefore it was not a proposal for reform at all. The Board of Control was to have four ‘“practical and experienced men,” and those necessarily must be brewers or wine merchants. Five others were to be appointed by the Government, and these would necessarily represent both parties, so that the Trade would have a clear majority of the nine members and control the whole position. There was to be no reduction of licenses and no reduction of the hours of sale. If the petition for corporate control was carried, ’there would be no poll for nine years, and the Prohibitionists would never submit to that. It would mean three issues on the ballot paper, two ,of them counting against Prohibition, and it meant no effort to reduce drunkenness or to introduce reform. Mrs W. R. Don spoke on the work of the W.C.T.U.. and what it had attempted and accomplished. It came into being 50 years ago next year, started by a small group of Christian women whose hearts had been made sore by the evils of the liquor traffic. Thev decided to go out in small groups and pray at the doors of public-houses. The effort was very effective for the time being, and from it grew the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Though they concentrated on temperance work, they were concerned with every kind of moral reform, and in America the union had no fewer than 80 departments. The definite work of the pioneers in the movement was in child welfare and education, and it was they who first secured regular temperance lessons in the Sunday schools and in the State schools. Later the children who had been enlisted as workers in the cause were drafted into the young people’s department of the union. She narrated the different steps m the campaign for national prohibition in the United Slates. Passing on to speak of the work qf the union in New Zealand, she said it was the union under the leadership of Mrs Kate Shepherd that started and carried through the movement for women's franchise. She told many interesting details of the campaign for the franchise as carried on in and about Dunedin. The answer to the union's apnoal for letters to be sent to members of Parliament on the subject was so widespread that 13 extra messengers were required to handle the mail going to the House. They believed that every woman would vote against the liquor traffic, but they had been bitterly disappointed since in that respect. She enumerated the beneficial laws enacted since the passing of the franchise, and said that women had played a very important part in these reforms. She referred to the Married Women’s Property Act, to widows’ pensions, and child welfare. The union had always stood for world prohibition, for world peace, and for world purity. She recalled! a deputation that had waited on Sir Joseph Ward with reference to the removal of the C.D. Act. Sir Joseph had replied: “But, Indies, do you not know that it is absolutely necessary to keep women pure and clean for the men?” Mi's Don answered ; “Then what' about keeping men pure and clean for (he women?” and that question still remained unanswered. She quoted the testimony of Evangeline Booth as to the groat success of prohibition in America, and concluded with a stirring declaration that the union would never (urn back from the great cause to which it was dedicated. Mrs Don subsequently moved—“ That this convention is of opinion that seeing the object of legislation dealing with venereal disease is the securing of accurate diagnosis and ndcouate treatment at the earliest possible moment, and for the largest number of sufferers, any system of notification is a grave mistake and will lend to defeat that, object, and further, this convention urges i,non the Minister of Health that greater facilities should he provided in all nnrts of the dominion for the treatment of these diseases.” Everywhere it had been proved, said Mrs Doti, that where there were free clinics hundreds went for treatment, hut, wherever compulsory notification was enforced the numbers were great! v reduced, and those who were attending free clinics ceased going. Tf they did awnv with the liquor traffic they would quickly establish purity. The motion was seconded, and earned without comment. Tim convention concluded with the Doxology and the Benediction.