COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3808, 8 March 1927, Page 22

COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

CONFERENCE AT CHRISTCHURCH. PRESIDENT’S REVIEW OF YEAR. CHRISTCHURCH, March 1. The annual onference of the National Council of Women of New Zealand was opened this afternoon, Airs J. Cooke (Auckland) presiding over an attendance of about 60 delegates. The President in her address made reference to the deaths of Queen Alexandra and Lady Aberdeen. She said that the council should be true to the principle that righteousness exalted a nation. The League of Nations was of primary importance, and one of the chief planks in the council’s platform. The comparison of the capabilities of one child with another, a vicious practice many parents indulged in,' was a potent fa lor against peace. It circulated the bad spirit of envy, which should be removed from the human breast, and if that -were done the world would go far towards solving the peace problem. International hate was only private hate. TLe aims of the League of Nations should be taught to children, and in the terms of the Covenant. During the past few years the movement had gone forward in New Zealand, but had they carried out the recommendations of the National Council of Women? A peace and arbitration superintendent was needed in each branch of the council, so that the progress of the League could be brought before the representatives of the societies

at the council’s meetings. Referring to child -v< If are. the President spoke in appreciation of the services of Sir Truby King. Their sympathy went out to him in the loss of his wife, who had done much to help him in his work. An important , base of childhood was between babyhood and school age, a time recognised as the most impressionable, when the foundation of character was laid. The Child Welfare Conference in Auckland was an important gathering, stress placed on the necessity for the spiritual training of the child in the home. The Family Allowance Act showed that the Government at last had designed a measure to do something, even if women considered it little in the way of humanitarian legislation. The question of objectionable film posters had exercised the minds of the women’s societies, and the town clerk at Auckland had been appointed a film poster censor. The appointment of women justices of the peace in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin was an important step forward. On the recommendation of the Auckland and Hamilton branches a remit was passed to delete from the constitution _of the council’s national policy: That the National Council of Women may support, but not initiate the candidature of suitable women appointed, by the council for Parliament.

CONSIDERATION OF BUSINESS. CHRISTCHURCH, March 2. The annual conference of the National Council of Women of New Zealand was to-day, Airs J. Cooke (Auckland) presiding. Mrs T. E. Taylor (Christchurch) moved that in the interests of the children’s health open-air schools should be established, where new schools were opened and where old ones were replaced by new ones.The motion was supported by several delegates and carried. The constitution was altered to provide for a biennial conference in place of an annual one, the officers to hold office for two years. The question of appointing a permanent paid secretary was referred to a committee for consideration.

A Christchurch remit, which was moved by Miss Chaplin, urging that there should be improved health conditions in schools, in the form of providing paper towels and other conveniences in order to ensure the personal cleanliness of the children was approved. In moving that the council should commend the Government for establishing additional special classes for teaching subnormal children, and hoping that the work would be extended, and urging that a psychiatrist should be attached to the Education Department in the interests of those children, Miss Chaplin said that the subject was highly important. Dr Buckley Turkington, who seconded the motion, said that the medical conference, which met in Dunedin, had urged that the Government appoint a psychiatrist to the Education Department. The psychiatrist should work hand in ha'nd with a psychologist, not the teachers. The motion was carried.

Mrs J. Walker (Gisborne) moved that the Minister of Education should be asked to introduce into the teaching of civics in schools the wider world citizenship, the relationship and inter-dependence of nations, and a fuller knowledge and understanding of their standpoints and ideals. Airs Denton Leech (Dunedin) said that a great deal could be done in that wav to soften the harsh relations between nations. Mrs N. E. Ferner (Auckland) said that the International Council of Women had taken steps in that direction, and, as a result, a woman had been attached to the Secretariat of the League of Nations. An amendment that consideration of the remit should be deferred until the primary schools’ syllabus dealing with civics was issued, was lost, and the remit was approved. The following remits were carried: — “That the Government be urged to pass an Order-in-Council under the Child Welfare Act better to regulate and restrict the attendance of children at places of amusement” ; “that the Government be urged to consider measures for the better protection of British films” ; “that the council deplores that the cost of primary products, such as butter, milk, fruit, and vegetables is beyond the means of a large proportion of the public, and that the cause of this high cost be investigtaed”; “that the council, regarding the habit of smoking as a growing evil among the youth of New Zealand, appeals to the Government to prohibit the sale of tobacco to persons under 18 years of age.’’ The last remit was carried by 15 votes to 14.

'The concluding business. CHRISTCHURCH, March 3. The annual conference of the National Council of Women of New Zealand was concluded to-day. Remits were carried as follows: — That the council urge the Government to appoint women police with the same status as men, and protest against the registering of women electors only, instead of entering their occupations as in the ease of men electors; also to ask that when a census is taken women, including wives, should have personal schedules. That the principle of equal pay for women for equal work in every department be recognised by the Government, making salary and promotion depend on ability and experience, not on sex. That the higher positions in the primary schools of the Dominion be open to qualified applicants of both sexes, and that women teachers be not debarred as at present from those positions. That the Government be urged to bring into effect an Act ; .which provides that the Legislative Council should be elective. The following Dominion officers were lected for the ensuing t*ro years:—President, Mrs C. A. Fraser (Christchurch) ; secretary, Aliss H. K. Lovell Smith

(Christchurch) ; treasurer, Aliss S. E. Jackson, J.P. (Auckland). Mrs J. Walker (Gisborne) moved as follows:— “That, in view of public opinion being so aroused by certain cases 'of criminal assault to demand flogging being . added to the sentence, this conference strongly protests against this treatment, and advocates the long indeterminate sentence with reformative treatment as being more in line with the best modern methods of penal reform.” Several delegates quoted Sir John Denniston. Supporting the motion, Aliss K. England (Wellington) said that one of the aspects of the question was the terrible effect that the flogging of prisoners had on warders. Sir John Denniston had said that after, he retired a head warder said to him: “There is one thing .we shall never forget about you—you have never ordered a flogging. You do not know what it means to us.” The motion was carried.

A motion that the Minister of Justice should be asked to caution magistrates and newspaper proprietors against making public certain features of court cases in regard to domestic tragedies, particularly those in which mothers in a state of mental unbalance attempt to murder their children, was moved by Airs W. Bridgeman (Dunedin) . Aliss E. Cardale (Christchlirch) said that it would hardly do to urge that magistrates should be cautioned.

Miss Henderson (Christchurch) said that it was not a question of cautioning newspaper proprietors. Some of them might observe the caution, but some certainly would not. The subject was brought before a recent meeting of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association. The only course was to legislate to prohibit the publication of those details. The power of suggestion was great and many women in a highly nervous condition were affected by details of some cases in the newspapers. Miss A. Kane (Wellington) said she did not think that there were grounds for many complaints about reports in the newspapers of this Dominion. Compared with the newspapers of other countries they were extremely moderate in their reports. It had been stated that the new English Divorce Act imposing the suppression of details had resulted in many more divorce cases, as the dread of publicity was removed. The newspapers in the Dominion had macle a point of publishing lurid details, hut they very few. Dr Buckley-Turkington (Auckland) said that details sometimes caused a powerful suggestion to certain people Miss Henderson said that nobody was making a charge against the . newspapers. She agreed with everything said about the tone of the newspapers of this Dominion. — (applause)—but, it was highly desirable that the details of some cases should not be published. The motion was amended to read as follows: — “That in the council’s opinion legislation should be nassed to prohibit newspapers from nublishing details in the cases referred to.”