WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC BILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10679, 28 January 1913, Page 2

WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC BILL.

It will bo remembered that in their dread of tho suffragette party Mr Asquith's Government suddenly took up the "VVhito Slave Traffic Bill, which women had demanded in vain session after session previously. That the Government's real interest in the protection of girls was on a par with its previous pledge not to opposo a suffrage amendment to the Franchise Bill is proved by tho fate of this much-needed Bill, which by one parliamentary enemy and another is being whittled down to utter uficlessness. The following notes of progress appear in "The Common Cause' :

At tho end of Juno this Bill began to be considered by a Standing Committee under the chairmanship of Mr Stuart Wortley, M.P. Clauso I. was amended to provide that only a constable who is "not below the ra<nk of a sergeant and is detailed for special duty under the Act by tho Commissioners of metropolitan and city police or the chief officer of a borough or county police force " shall have; power to arrest without a,warrant.

Mr Arthur Lynch, Mr J. Wedgwood and Sir , W. B.yles wanted to delete the words " being a&uit. to commit" the offence of procuration; Sir W. Bylcs opined that the miscreant " might change his* mind." Mr Lynch was afraid of blackmail. Tho phrase mentioned above was changed to " attempting to commit." The clause passed as amended. f An amendment, of Sir, F. Banbury's was passed to omit sub-section (2), which provides for evidence" of previous convictions being given, and another amendment was also passed to strike out the liability to flogging. So amended, clauses 1 and 2 were passed on July o '

"Votes for Women" comments on the Bill thus T We invite all those who do not believe in present-day militancy, who are shocked by recent protests, who think that the end does not justify these means, to consider the fate of the White Slave Bill, which, as the "Daily Chronicle" expresses'it, has been so mutilated in Standing Committee as to make it scarcely worth putting on, the Statute Book. The refusal of _ the House of Commons to allow an ordinary constable to arrest a professional, trader in women without a warrant simply means, to quote further from the " Daily Chronicle," , That white slave traders will be able "to keep free from the grasp of the law just as easily as they can now. A constable, may arrest a woman for soliciting, btit a white slave trader is immune unless a specially detailed sergeant happens to be on the scene." All this because women have not got the vote! Let anti-militants, further consider the case of the young girl now in prison for manslaughter who, according to counsel defending her. was " taken to London at the age of sixteen by a person whose name need 1 not be mentioned, and was deserted after three months." It ought to be a criminal offence to entice a child of sixteen away from her home, to ruin her and than desert her, leaving her, to fall into the gutter. But the law does not regard it as a crime', and fixes the "age of consent " at sixteen years. All this because women have not the vote! Militancy, indeed! We say that it 's needed to cleanse a world where these wrongs against) women and their young daughters can be done by permission of the law.