NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27358, 6 April 1950, Page 9

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN

Marriage Guidance Work Supported A letter from the secretary of the Marriage Guidance Council in Dunedin, read at the National Council of Women's meeting held last night, offered pamphlets, book lists and speakers to any women’s organisation anxious to help in the educative work undertaken by the Marriage Guidance Council. Commenting upon the valuable work which was being done by the council. Mrs W. K. Cameron referred to discussions on the number of divorces and the consequent broken homes occurring in New Zealand, which took place at the recent executive meetine of the National Council of Women in Wellington. Conciliators, who were attached to the courts in an honorary cacacity, were called in when a legal movement had been made for separation, she said. These conciliators. people of good will but many of them entirely without training, interviewed the husband and wife separately and then together, and did their best to repair the marriage, but by then it was usually too late. The National Council of Women had urged that, more women should be appointed as conciliators, but it was now realised that educative and preventive work done bv Marriage Guidance Councils was important so that quarrels and disagreements could be settled in their earlv stages. On the motion of Mrs A. A. Orton, it was decided to send a letter to the Transport Committee recommending that where cord, instead of push button, stop signals were being installed on buses they should be at a convenient height for use by young children and elderly people. Cords fastened on to the roofs of buses were normally out of the reach of young children and caused difficulties for the elderly or those burdened by shopping. Mrs Cameron, reporting further on the proceedings of the Dominion Executive, said that Mr Gordon Mirams, the Film Censor, found that films depicting violence were now a major prohlem They were most unsuitable for showing to children. Certain films were not now to be shown to children under lfi. even if they were accompanied by adults, and it would be incumbent on the theatre manager to see that this ruling was observed.