UPLIFT OF HUMANITY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19182, 27 May 1924, Page 8

UPLIFT OF HUMANITY.

IMPROVEMENTS SUGGESTED MAGISTRATE AND SOCIAL WORKER. At the annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, which was held yesterday in the Tov.'n Hall, there were present two invited speakers who are specially concerned with the social welfare of the city, and are well qualified to speak on the subject. These were Miss Jean Ilegg and Mr 3. R. Bartholomew, S.M., both of whom received an excellent hearing, and were heartily applauded at the conclusion of their respective addresses. Mr Bartholomew commenced by congratulating the society ou the result of the year t operations, and on the valuable work it had done in the city. l lt was always a pleasure to the magistrates of the city to meet with the social workers and to discuss matters affecting distressed women and children with them. He thought New Zealand had reason to congratulate itself on the advance made in legislation affecting women and children, especially with regard to destitute children. They had a system which they might with reason be proud of. Those who were in a positron to know were of the opinion that the system in vogue in the dominion compared more than lavourably with that of the Australian States. Their probation officer system was working splendidly. They in Dunedin should be proud of the system as it operated here. As a matter of fact the system originated with the Presbyterian Social Service Association in Dunedin, and was ultimately taken up by the Government. The department, too, had been specially fortunate in the selection of its officers, and this was particularly the case with regard to Dunedin, where they had very good officers. Ho was glad they were getting away from institutions as tar as their children were concerned, and were having their juveniles placed in suitable homes. He thought this iaea a particularly good one. Their system of adopting children, too, was specially commendable. The matter of dealing with vicious girls, however, was still a problem as far as the dominion was concerned. They had not got suitable institutions to which they coukr commit that class of offenders. At present the Industrial School at Cavorsham was the dumping ground, but it was entirely unsuitable. Then there was the case of the sub-normal child, but as a Iloyal Commission was at present inquiring into that question he would not offer any comments. Referring to tho question of women justices of the peace, he was not enamoured of the idea, and he did not regret that the Bill had not passed into law. The policy of the Justicc Department had been in the direction of havang all cases dealt with by magistrates, who were trained lawyers. Mr Bartholomew referred in gratifying terms to the work done by Ensign Coombs, who was a regular attander at the courts, and had an official standing there as female probation officer. What particularly impressed him was her tacttul way of handling cases. He considered that the appointment of maintenance officers in the centres was a torward step. H<e favoured the establishment of farm or labour colonies, where defaulting husbands and fathers could be sent, and their earnings remitted to those dependent on them. —(Loud applause.) Miss Joan Hogg said that her temporary appointment under the Goveimment had ■riven her an opportunity of seeing whet was being done and had been done in the matter of social welfare in the dominion. She differed from Mr Bartholomew on a great many questions.—’(Laughter.) She noted that there was an absence of co-ordination in the matter of Statute law relating to the class of people with whom the society had to deal. She was pleased to say, however, (hat there was a movement throughout the dominion in the direction of consolidating the various measures dealing with these questions, and adding to them. In Auckland there was a body which called itseli the Community Welfare Council, which had mafle itself responsible for the drafting of a measure which would probably be introduced into Parliament during the approaching session. This measure was termed the Children’s Charter. Its principal proposal was to consolidate the existing measures relating to women and children, and others were to be added. She thought tho system relating to juveniles in New Zealand was one of the best extant, but the charter would make many improvements. The speaker then referred to child labour and to street trading. In the largo cities, she said, the number of young children on the streets at night was deplorable. There was much need for policewomen. Dance halls, where young girls unchaperoned were in evidence, required supervision on the same lines as existed in the principal cities in America. The kind of dances indulged in required attention also, and some of them should be barred. They would not be tolerated in many parts of the world. She considered that tnc compulsory notification of venereal cases was essential. The question of V.U. clinics was also on© which required looking into. In Auckland it was asserted that 90 per cent, of those attending the clinics left uncured. Miss Begg was warmly applauded at the conclusion of her address. Both speakers were heartily thanked for their interesting and instructive addresses.