IMPROVIDENT MARRIAGES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3673, 5 August 1924, Page 28

IMPROVIDENT MARRIAGES.

AUCKLAND SOCIAL WORKER'S EXPERIENCE. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND. August 3. The statement made in the House of Representatives by Mr M. J. Savage. M.P., that there were many women and girls in Auckland who were ‘down and out” and asking that investigations should be made to see what steps could be taken to alleviate distress has been referred to prominent social workers in Auckland by a Star representative. Sister Esther, one of the most prominent of the city’s social workers said there were certainly cases of women and girls being down and out,” blit she did not think Mr Savage made the statement sweepingly, and possibly he had only a few eases in mind. “The whole trouble,” said Sister Esther, “or perhaps I had better say the hardest cases to deal with are those where young people seek assistance. If the Government is keen to do something, then the first thing should be to impress upon young people the necessity to be more thrifty and to realise the responsibilities that go with marriage. .Why, girls of 20 years ago. and young men, too, would not think of marrying unless they had good reason to view the future brightly, and had a few' pounds and also a house fo live in; but nowadays we have girls of 17 marrying young men of 20 or 21 and going to live in one fur nished room. Then the husband gets out of work and they are, as Mr Savage says, ‘down and out.’ It is awful to know' that such happens. Fancy these girls—for they are only girls—coming along and asking for clothing for their first baby. Why, it should be the mother’s delight to make or provide clothing for her baby. These young people, right in the prime of life, seek assistance when it would be more reasonable to expect them to be assisting others. Young people rowadays don’t realise what an undertaking marriage is, and. as I say, if they can live in one furnished room’ many of them are satisfied. The Government should begin by instilling into the b'oung people of the dominion the need for thrift. ”