SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23201, 27 May 1937, Page 5

SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION

WOMEN AND CHILDREN THIRTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT The thirty-seventh annual report of the Dunedin branch of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children states, inter alia:— The committee is pleased to be able to report a credit balance this year. This is largely due to the reinstatement of a Government grant, also to a donation from the City Council, and a grant, through the Mayor, from Lord Nuffield's donation to social welfare work. In July last a deputation from the society met Mr P. Eraser (Minister of Justice), asking for the, reinstatement of the Government grant. The deputation pointed out the valuable work done by the society and showed how the work of the society saved the courts a great deal of time in dealing with matrimonial and other domestic difficulties. The Minister received the deputation sympathetically, and subsequently a grant of £l5O was made. The deputation also drew the attention of the Minister to the difficulties which sometimes arose under the Family Allowance Act, when husbands, through ill-feeling to their wives who were separated from them, were unwilling to sign applications. The Minister promised to remedy the position, and now the application of the wife is sufficient to enable an allowance to be drawn. The society wishes to record its thanks to the Minister for granting both these requests. The committee was pleased to welcome back the Rev. V. G. Bryan King, who for health reasons had retired for a short time, and also to welcome a new member, Mrs Aslin. Two members of the committee, Mrs S. M. Pane and Mrs Foster, were chosen to represent the society on the Otago Women's Centennial Council. SUMMARY OF CASES The work of the society still continues to increase. The following is a summary of the year's cases:—Separation cases, 35; domestic differences, 76; reconciliations, 43; defaulters in maintenance, 85; uplift in maintenance, 125; cruelty and drunkenness, 30; girls not under proper control, 17; unsatisfactory home conditions, 12; illegitimate children, 10; affiliation cases, 12; employment sought, 164; deserted wives, 26; destitute women advised 168: prohibition orders, 6, pension, relief, and camp

wages collected and disbursed, 29; miscellaneous, 638;—total, 1521. Callers, 5857; visits, 1346;—total, 7203. A great part of the secretary's time was, as in former years, taken up in collecting wages due to those relief workers who are living apart from their wives and who have to pay maintenance. The large sum of £IBB6 9s passed through the secretary's hands in the disbursements of these maintenance moneys, pensions, and unemployment relief wages. There is constant co-operation between the various branches of the society throughout New Zealand. The secretary (Miss Coe-Smith) also attends the court during the hearing of maintenance and separation cases, and is of assistance to the unfortunate women concerned. It will be recognised that the secretary's hours of work are by no means limited. She is also honorary secretary to the Women's Employment Committee, which brings her into personal touch with the single unemployed women and girls. This is all honorary work. She recognises, however, that it keeps her in close touch with the lives of these girls, and she is thus able to help them in various ways. APPRECIATION RECORDED The society is indebted to the collector (Miss Macandrew) and to all subscribers and donors. The society is prateful to the Government, the City Council, and Lord Nuffield for the financial help accorded. Thanks are due to the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox> for the use of the Council Chambers for meetings, to the Ministers of the Crown, the press, the stipendiary magistrates, the honorary solicitors, honorary auditors, the police, the officials of the Child Welfare Department, the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, the honorary medical officers, Dr M'Kinnon, and Dr Marion Whyte, the matrons of the Batchelor and St. Helens Hospitals, the matrons of the Salvation Army Homes, social workers, and business men for their valuable assistance to the secretary, also

to the official? of the Labour Department and the city treasury for their unfailing help and courtesy to the society's secretary. The objects of the society are:—Q) To give advice and aid to women and girls in difficulties; (2) to prosecute in all cases of ill-usage, cruelty, seduction, outrage, or excessive violence to or desertion of women and children: (3) to adjust family differences between husbands and wives: (4) to promote legislative reform in matters pertaining to the more effectual protection and welfare of women and chil-

dren; <5) to ensure a wife receiving a fair share of a drunken or spendthrift husband's wages; (6) to compel lazy heads of families to work for the support of the dependents: (7) to co-oper-ate with any organisations which are in the way of working for any of the foregoing or like objects.