Distinguished Scottish Visitor Entertained

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26709, 2 March 1948, Page 2

Distinguished Scottish Visitor Entertained

NOTES FOR WOMEN

Dr V. M. C. Roberton, or to give this distinguished Scottish visitor some of her other titles—Bailie, councillor, and preceptor, was sent abroad by the British Council to exchange information about social services in the various countries visited. Two weeks ago Bailie Roberton, as she appears most frequently to be called, was addressing a meeting in Glasgow. Since then she has addressed similar meetings in London, New York, San Francisco, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and last night Dunedin at the joint meeting of the National Council of Women and the Otago Women’s Club in the women’s club rooms.

When interviewed by the Otago Daily Times immediately after her arrival yesterday, she did not complain of fatigue, as might be expected, but expressed satisfaction at the rapidity of modern travel. A granddaughter of Sir James Roberton, a distinguished lawyer who held the Chair of Conveyancing at the Glasgow University, she came into public life at a very early age. It was this same university which conferred the honorary degree of L.L.D. on Bailie Roberton in 1943. Her interests a;re extensive, for, besides being a Justice of the Peace, commandant of the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps, chairman of the Scottish Committee of Social Hygiene, and numerous other offices, she is an accomplished musician, having studied in Dresden. It was in her grandfather’s home that Lord Baden-Powell first discussed the Scout movement while visiting there to inspect the Boys’ Brigade, which originated in Glasgow, She is the first women to hold the office of preceptor, an office 310 y<ears old. She was requested to bring her medals to Dunedin with her and has done so, but only with the permission of the Board of Trade, which termed these medals “jewellery” and asked for a guarantee that they would return with her. Mrs Gerald Fitzgerald, president of the Otago Women’s Club, and Mrs W. K. Cameron, president of the National Council of Women, were joint chairmen at last night’s meeting, and exchanged greetings with Elailie Roberton, who represented similar clubs and organisations in the Old Country. Bailie Roberton said that she was proud of being a member of the New Zealand National Council of Women,

as she had once belonged to it for a vear when in New Zealand 28 years ago. She expressed gratitude for the food parcels received, and said that research work was proving that the lack of fats was causing bones to be brittle and to break easily. Parcels sent to societies were given as far as possible to people holding only one ration book. “We are very proud of our women police,” Bailie Roberton said. “We have had plain clothes women in the C.I.D. for 20 years, but now, as during the war, both plain clothes and uniformed policewomen are employed.” In answer to a question as to the desirability of uniforms, she said that there was a very real need for both classes of officers, particularly where child welfare was concerned. Children were often afraid of a uniform, and she considered that very valuable preventive work was being done by plain clothes policewomen. Housing conditions in large cities were appalling, she said. There were almost 100,000 homeless people in Glasgow alone. Party politics were retarding progress as far as building was concerned. Juvenile delinquency was certainly •on the increase, Bailie Roberton said, and this was considered to be due to lack of parental control during the war years, while the very fine organisations which dealt with juveniles were handicapped through lack of premises, and there were too few social service workers. Commissions and committees were now appointing women to look into these matters. In Glasgow alone there were 3000 children boarded out in private homes. This system had been amazingly successful, and had proved the value of environment as opposed to heredity. Asked if child emigration had been mooted in Scotland, she said there was not yet an organised plan to bring children to New Zealand, although the Fairbridge scheme for child emigration to Rhodesia and Australia was in full swing. “I personally feel that something of the sort is essential on a large scale,” she said, “and will welcome suggestions for such a scheme.” In conclusion, Bailie Roberton answered many questions concerning welfare work in Scotland, and those present were then invited to meet her and have a personal talk.