PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10105, 17 March 1911, Page 4

PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual mooting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children was held at the Young Men's Christian Association's rooms yesterday, Mrs A. C. Sandstein presiding over a large attendance of members. The committee in its annual report tendered hearty thanks to the Society's honorary legal and medical officers; to the police and Charitable Aid Board's officials; to the Hyman Marks and the Sir John Hall Trusts'; to Sirs George Rhodes, for giving a bed at the Convalescent Home to several young girls; to many friends for pecuniary assistance in special cases; to the public who had subscribed to the Society's funds; to Messrs Jameson and Son, who had audited the accounts; to the honorary treasurer, Mr G. H. Hall; to the daily papers; to the Young Men's Christian Association, for "giving the use, of a room in which to hold meetings; to Messrs H. G. Ell, M.P., and G. W. Russell, M.P., for parliamentary services; to the Deaconesses, District Nurses, Society for the Health of Women and Children, Committee of St Saviour's Orphanage and officers of the Receiving Home; to Miss Taylor and Mr D. N. Adams, for typing; and to tho secretary, Mrs M. H. Lissaman, who had been unsparing in zeal and most tactful in dealing with the cases, many of which were of a most unpleasant and difficult nature. The new cases dealt with during the year, numbering 88, included: —Ten cases of ill-used wives, fifteen cases of neglected or deserted wives, four cases of ill-used children, twenty-seven cases of neglected children, four cases of children in unsuitable homes, two cases of deficient children, one case of orphan children, three cases of children placed in St Saviour's Home, five cases of young girls or boys unhappy in their homes, one case of adoption, one case of a girl getting into bad company, five cases of affiliation, five cases of poverty and five miscellaneous cases. The committee was also still in touch with a very large number of the 104 cases dealt with in former years. The cases of ill-used wives were often sickening in detail, and loudly called for amendment in the marriage laws. The fact that a drunken husband should be able to use the vilest epitliets to his wife and rain blows upon her person, and treat her in other ways not lit to mention, without her having any legal remedy for want of witnesses, loudly calledi for redress. The legislatkwi introduced by the present Minister of Justice to deal with deserting husbands had the committee's highest commendation. In these cases tho Society advised that when a husband had left the dominion without .having made adequate, provision for the maintenance of his family he should be arrested, if in Australia, brought back to New Zealand, and an order made by the magistrate who tried the case for the man to pay all the expenses incurred by his arrest, failing the payment of which ho should bo dealt with 011 the same lines as anv other person disobeying an order of the Court. No warrant for the arrest of her husband on the charge of having deserted her should be granted to a, wife without her being required to give a surety in her own rocognisances that she would I appear in Court to prosecute her husI band when he was being tried for having deserted her, and it was recommended that when it was requisite for a wife to lay an information against her husband for desertion, the wife's sworn affidavit, independent of the information, should bo obtained, in order to produce to the Court on the case being heard. But it was when dealing with neglected or ill-used children that their pity was oitenest stirred to indignation. It was not by any means boarded-out children who suffered most. These were subject to inspection, and any gross cruelty or neglect practised upon them was generally promptly and adequately dealt with. It, was the children living in charge of drunken or cruel parents, or adopting parents, that were exposed to the keenest suffering, and whose cases were the most difficult of redress, and it was here that an amendment of the liw was needed. Neighbours were so reluctant to give information in the cases which came under their observation that eve it one of tho thirty-one cases of the find reported had been more or less genuine. It was considered that the same powers as by the police should be delegated to the inspector of such societies as theirs when dealing with this class of cases. A home for mentally deficient girls, on the same lines as that for boys at Otekaike, was urgently needed. Wherever the committee's work had brought the members in contact with cases of genuine poverty, whether of children or adults, these had on their representations been promptly relieved by the. Charitable Aid Board. The affiliation cases, ever on the increase, caused the gravest anxiety to social workers, and all such workers recognised that this wa's a many-sided question, which must be scientifically dealt with by the Legislature in the immediate future. Tho committee looked back with the utmost satisfaction on the year just ended as one in which a great amount of good work had been, accomplished, and was to "/ori an. iJie .same lints

with hope and energy in the future, leaving results to a higher Power, The annual balance sheet showed receipts amounting to £179 17s Id, an expenditure of £l2O lis 6d, and a credit balance of £4B 16s 7d. The president, in opening the meeting, stated that the Society had recently been granted a Government subsidy of £75, which showed that its work was being recognised as valuable. She thanked the' secretary and committee for their co-operation during the past year. Mr G. W. Russell, M.P., in moving the adoption of the report and balance sheet, said that the most cursory perusal of the report would convince his hearers of the unfortunate need for the Society, and of the fact that the Society was doing its work efficiently. A great deal of painful but necessary work had been done. It was regrettable that at this stage of the Christian era such evils should exist, but as sensible people they would admit the evils and do their best to combat them. Reference had been made to the subsidy he and other members had been able to obtain from the Government. 'This money would bo paid over shortly after March 31. The Society must regard the- money as a windfall pure and simple, fie did not think there was the slightest possibility of the vote ever being repeated. It would be wise to hold the money in trust to tide over any shortages in the next year or so. The reason the vote was unlikely to be repeated was that the principle of the Government's recent hospital and charitable aid legislation was that these and kindred matters should be solely under the control of local bodies elected by the people'. As the whole cost of charitable aid was cast on the ratepayers, it appeared to him somo other avenue of revenue would have to be found, which would levy on those who did not pay rates. In connection with colonial revenue, the Government could reach all classes of the community by taxes on commodities. In regard to charitable aid and work, of that kind, however, this was not the case. The Government might pay a subsidy to these bodies on rates collected, on a per capita basis. The objects of the Society formed the most defensible objects for Government expenditure that he knew of. He noticed that £149 had been received in subscriptions during the year, and that there was a genuine credit balance. The fact that 250 or 300 persons had subscribed to the Society's funds showed its work was valued. He had always felt that Sir Robert Stout's hospital and charitable aid legislation in 1888 struck a cruel blow at private charity. There were then sources from which relief could be given quietly and' without ostentation, without the objectionable publicity now necessary. Ladies who belonged to such a Society as this deserved every consideration in carrying on their work. He pointed out that sub-section D of the Society's published objects, "To compel lazy heads of families to work on farm colonies., so that after paying for their keep any siu-plus may bo paid over for the support of the dependents," was very advanced Socialism indeed. He did not say it was not the best solution of the most serious problem in modern politics, but at present it must be regarded merely as a warning to lazy and dissolute husbands as to what they might expect if they refused to mend their ways. The report ,and balance sheet were unanimously adopted. Mr J. R. Cuningham said that he had come into contact Avith the work of the Society in his capacity as one of its honorary solicitors, and he could therefore the more thoroughly appreciate the value of its work. The Society had won every case brought into (Jourt save one, and its success was largely due to the energy of the secretary (Mrs M. H. Lissaman). He gave an outline of recent legislation which had assisted the work of the Society. Mrs M. H. Lissaman, secretary of ' the Society, gave a brief resume of the work done during the past year. She urged that something should be done to prevent the marriage of imbeciles, and stated that she knew of a great many cases in which families ' were being reared bv parents, one of whom was an imbecile, and suggested that imbeciles should be segregated by the State. She also urged an amendment of the law which allowed children to leave parental control at the age of sixteen. She considered, she said, that the age should be raised to eighteen. Provision should be made for the periodical inspection of all adopted children up to the age of thirteen. She also deplored that in a civilised community widows with families of young childron should have to earn a living at other people's washtubs, leaving their children to roam the streets. . On the motion of Mr Cuningham, a hearty vote of thanks was acoorded the retiring officers of the Society. The following officers were elected: —President, Mrs A. C. Sandstein; vice-presidents, Mrs George Rhodes and Mr G. T. Booth; honorary treasurer, Mr G. H. Hall; committee, the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr C. Allison), Mesdames J. H. Fountain, H. A'Court, T. E. Taylor, H. R. Smith, F. Pratt, W. J. Stringlenian, Sister Mabel, Drs Ethel Orchard and Jessie Maddison, Misses Moir, M. Hall, and B. Shanks, Rev F. Rule,. Messrs D. N. Adams, C. R. N. Mackie and W. H. Zouch; honorary solicitors, Messrs Cuningham and Taylor, J. Upham, J. A. Flesher and C. E. Salter; honorary medical officers, Drs Ethel Orchard, Jeasie Maddison, F. Browne and W. H. Simpson; authorised collector, Mr W. Ramsay; inspector and secretary, Mrs M. H. Lissaman. The Rev F. Rule said that he had arranged to confer with the Hon Dr Findlay, upon that gentleman's return from England, in regard to the inspection of adopted children. He urged the necessity for legislation on the lines of the Probation Juvenile Court Act of New South Wales. At present lads who came before the Court for a first offence of theft were discharged, and no authority had any control over them. Mr T. E. Taylor, M.P., said it was a very desirable thing to reform the Juvenile Court system of New Zealand. He regarded the recent legislation allowing an illegitimate child to bear the name of the father as an act of justice. The Society was filling a position which had to be filled, and which would become, more acutely necessary as the population of the city increased. Now Zealand could not make the progress in social reform which it ought to until the women made their influence on Parliament more strongly felt. There should be a Parliament in which a number of women should sit ? for there were many matters on which women were better qualified to legislate than men. He did not suppose many of his hearers desired parliamentary honours, but he knew women who would bo an acquisition to any Parliament. He hoped to see the day when the ablest women in the community might, if their time was free to do so, represent constituencies in Parliament. Parliament would then give twice the attention to such matters as they had been discussing that afternoon that it did at present. He believed that no institution could take the place in a child's life of even an indifferent home, and he wondered that the Christian sentiment of New Zealand was not equal to absorbing into private homes all the unfortunate children who now went into institutions. If the Churches put a little energy into this matter he was sure that homes could be found for all these children. He had a good many children of his own in his home already, but he thought there would be room for another if the right appeal j was made. | Mr G. Laurenson, M.P., said that ! the Society was doing a. work which j could not be done by the existing in- ] stitutions. Much had been done by ] legislation in the last ten or twelve 1 years to protect women and children, and this showed the growing feeling that there was much to be done in that direction. Some people talked about the decay of religious feeling, but ho .believed that, so far as practical sym-

pathy with the destitute and afflicted was concerned, feeling was -stronger now than "it had ever been. Mr H. a. Ell, M.P., said that legislation had recently been passed enlarging the powers of the law in regard to deserting husbands, and this- should help the work of the Society. He quite sympathised_ with Mr Rule's desire for reform in connection with Juvenile Courts. He congratulated the Society upon the granting of a Government subsidy and upon the measure of public support a-ecorded to the Society during the past year. A vote of thanks to the president concluded the business.