WOMEN IN POLITICS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24591, 26 April 1941, Page 8

WOMEN IN POLITICS

GREATER SHARE URGED INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES FOR LOCAL BODIES MRS G. BROOKS NOMINATED The desirability of having independent women sharing in government internationally, nationally and incrac life was expressed by women who met on Thursday afternoon principally to nominate independent women candidates for the Citv Council and the Otago Hospital Board. The inherent modesty of women was for once put in the background as several speakers told how the world would become a much happier place and that the present war would never have come about had women :played a greater partem government- Mrs M. Begg. presided over about 40 women, who decided to nominate Mrs G. Brooks as an independent candidate for the City Council and the Hospital Board, and to endeavour to induce other women to stand for these bodies as independents. A Woman as Mayor "Women to-day are called upon to give their sons and husbands, to give money liberallv allegedly,-to finance a war, and at the same time they are facing great difficulties in their housekeeping," Mrs Begg said in her introductory remarks.. "We are. giving "so much 'that it is time we took a far preater part in politics. I would like to see women on every public body, and I would even like to see a woman elected as Mayor of this city.—(Applause.) .'•'•' '-''-' ''•■■•:""*:"■■ ... "Men do not want us on public bodies it seems." she added, "and they will no doubt trv to stop us from getr ting into office. -To get .anywhere, we women will have to vote independentlv. as our conscience guides us; and not as our husbands tell us nor as the tickets tell us. Tickets are an insult to our intelligence.—(Applause.) I don't know why politics ever came into civic affairs. It is up to us women to see to it that independent' women, candidates are' nominated for election to the City Council and the Otago Hospital Board." ;..,;-„-;■•' f*f Governed by People from Home Mrs G. Brooks' also stressed the heed for women to take a more prominent part in political life/ . Women had always been called upon to make sacrifices, and now men were being taken away from posts because of the war, and women were quite capable of filling them. They had seen. the. failures of the past, and now was the time for them to break down the barriers of party politics.-bf having their.,thinking done for them by men/and ,to establish a true democracy for women in which -they .would have equality with men. Women. Mrs Brooks added, should -lead the world to a better understanding and a. .better civilisation. '■'■• Mrs Orpah Jones-Neilsoh said that they had met to see--whether they could get two capable women to stand for the City Council and the Hospital Board. She told how she and Mrs Brooks had at the last moment decided to stand for the two bodies at the last elections. Each had polled 3000 votes, and she doubted whether any other candidate' at* the election could have received 3000 personal votes. "It is the people from the Homeland who are running this country for you," Mrs Jones-Neilson continued. " The Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance are from Home, and only one of the three women standing for the Hospital Board is a 'New Zealander. The reason is that New Zealanders are too slow in coming out. We want women, independent women, on the council to attend to many matters. The .Women's Rest Rooms, for example, are a disgrace, i: want to tell you, too, that,we hop? to-be successful in getting an independent' man 'to".'stand for the mayoralty.'''-' v '■-". ThetWorktof; ajßachelor; ;-■ "Why .confine women's activities .to civic life?' Mrs Downing asked. " The time. has come for women to take their part in national and international affairs, Here we have an evil old bachelor inspired by the devil, who with his fellow gangsters start a world war without consulting his people. The.women of Germany had ho say in it. They merely have to provide the cannon fodder and do the suffering. If a woman had been given supreme power in Germany, there would never have been this terrible war.

"I said to a man the other day," she added, "that women should have more say in the Government of the country. '.Women : Iri 'power?' he-- said. 'They * would .make things/ worse.' 'They couldn't if they tried, I replied. '■lt would be: impossible.' The time is long overdue when we should have women in politics and on every local body. Mind you. I never want to see women dominate. I would hate to see a world dominated by women, but if they took a greater share in Government it would make the world a happier and a kinder place. "That is a point we should stress," Mrs Begg said. "We do not want to dominate; we'merely want to cooperate." :"..-'... A Spanner in the Works A woman who had just arrived provided a diversion by avowing, that it was not the time to talk about putting women on the council or.oh any body and causing a split in the voting. "We don't want to do that, I am sure," she said, amid a storm of opposition. "We've got to put strong men on the council and into Parliament. We"re fighting for our lives and we want practical, experienced men. It is the men who have to fight, and we don't want to do anything that will upset the war effort. It is not the time to talk as you are talking." • v After one or two women had replied to these remarks,. the " opposition" left the meeting, and nominations were called for candidates for the City Council and the Hospital Board. Several of those present were nominated, but Mrs Brooks was the only one who agreed to stand. It was de-. cided to support her nomination, and a committee, comprising MesdamesBegg. (chairwoman), M. Townend, Hunter,- East. M. Brown (secretary). Misses McAra and Griffiths, was appointed to approach other women and ask them to stand as independent candidates and to organise an election campaign.