WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21103, 13 August 1930, Page 9

WOMEN'S CONFERENCE

ADDRESS BY DAME CROWDY. SOCIAL AND WELFARE WORK. THE LEAGUE'S ACTIVITIES. (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) HONOLULU, August Jl. (Received August 12, at 9 p.m.) Great enthusiasm was evoked by an address by Dame Rachel Crowdy (chief of the Social Questions and Opium Traffic Section of the League of Nations) on the social and welfare work of the League, which was delivered at a public meeting in connection with the Women's Pan-Pacific Conference. She dealt' briefly with the opium question, describing the international character of the traffic, with the consequent difficulty of control. She referred to the reports of the committee which investigated the traffic in women and children. There was no central dominating figure in the traffic, but close co-operation between the individuals concerned, both men and women. Child welfare was a comparatively new League undertaking* The work of ,the permanent commission consisted chiefly of studies of such subjects as children’s courts and the connection between illegitimacy and delinquency. Three international child welfare conventions were now being prepared. The subject of opium traffic was continued by Dame Crowdy at a public luncheon, which was arranged by the Pan-Pacific Union, to-day. The- international machinery for control of the traffic was described. The publicity given to the seizures of the drug and to the names of the firms and individuals concerned was one of the chief means of checking the traffic, and it had valuable results. Annual reports were being supplied by countries which ratified the opium convention, giving the quantities imported, exported, manufactured, and required for medical purposes. The value of cocaine made the smuggling of minute quantities profitable, hence the great ingenuity of the methods employed and the difficulty of detection. An interesting reception was held by the Pan-Pacific Institute at Manoa Valley, at which thanks were, expressed by Miss Jean Begg (New Zealand) and the American and Chinese delegates. The work of the conference began today with a survey by Miss Jean Begg of social service problems. A keen discussion followed, and interest was shown in the Australian experiment with the unemployment tax.