WOMEN'S POLITICAL LEAGUE.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8496, 14 March 1895, Page 2

WOMEN'S POLITICAL LEAGUE.

A meeting of the above was held in the Borough Council Chambers last evening, ■when the vice-President's resolution re women and the Civil Service was fnlly d'scassed. In introducing it that ladyexplained that more definite information as to the attitude assumed by the present Government on the question of women's right to State employment had necessitated some alteration in its wording. When aha gave notice of her intention to move in the matter she was under the impression that two, or at most three, State departments were open to woman. On farther inquiry, however, she had learned that women were now employed in at leas, kve departments ; besides which the appointment of several women inspectors and postmistresses showed that the present Government had fairly grasped the fact that in apportioning Government work there should be no question of sex, but only of capacity. Of course no sane | Government would continue to employ 'ncompetent servants, ror would any sane person urge such a course ; but she was glad to be able to inform her hearers that the efficiency displayed by the young women first employed had encouraged the authorities to throw the gates a little more a-jar. For instance, she was assured that the present head of the Public Trust Department had carried from the General Post Office such a high opinion of feminine capacity, derived from his experience of female clerks there, that he had introduced them into the department under his charge, with the most satisfactory results. The speaker trusted that th.© good work would go on until all departments of the State would be equally open to both sexes. This brought her to the crux of the resolution, via., the section of it recommending 1 equal pay for similar wort. This was a matter of such importance that she trusted they would not rest until the principle had been recognised and generally adopted. As a matter of fact here was to be found the origin of male opposition to f eminine competition, ! Men feared, and not altogether without 1 reason, that in the labour market they would be undersold by their sisters. Some excuse must be made for those women who. in their endeavour to obtain a foothold, consent to work below current rates, but one's sense of justice revolts at the action of them who impose this necessity ■ upon then: ; and it is quite certain that unless the evil is nipped in the bud the labour problem, intensified by every addition to the industrial army, will shortly become insoluble. Men naturally object to anyone pulling down wagea. If they could be sure that women would not reduce the wages standard they would view with less alarm their invasion of the labour markets. But nnfair competition they have a right to object to, and it is truly unfair to asskt in breaking wages. This being so, the duty of moving in the matter became imperative. Much has been said by crusted Tories in depreciation of paternalism in Governments ; but the speaker believed in Government T>aternalisin, and thought a Government failed of its duty unless it fulfilled the part of a wise, just and provident father by placing the true well-being ot the community above all other considerations whether of class interest or ot departmental cheeseparing, Clearly it was no part of a Government's duty to wink at, much less to assist iv the reduction of current rates of pay. Therefore the speaker had regretfully noted that though the authorities had shown true Liberalism in recognising woman's right to a fnller share in State employment, they had made no alteration in the pernicious system they found in operation in the > the Education Department, of underpay, ing female employees. On the contrary they had introduced that bad practice into the departments now thrown open, and where they pay a boy cadet .£5O per annum they pay a girl J24.0. Now what would this lead to it allowed to go on? Clearly the elimination of men from the Civil Service. Woman's capacity is no longer iv question. It has been tested and Found more than equal to ordinary routine work. The average girl has been found as capable as the average boy Further training will develop greater faculty until it is found that there is no position hardly but what a woman can fill with credit to herself and benefit to the State. If, then, she had been trained to do the same work at a lower rate of pay than her male coadjutors, nothing is more certain than then 1 disnilasal and her retention whenever retrenchment becomes the order of the day. Either that, or they must accept the female scale of remuneration. Now this would be an evil of such magnitude that all differences of opinion should be sunk m the endeavour to avert it. Advocates of the supremacy of man should unite with exponents of the rights of woman. Both sexes and all classes should combine to place this matter in its proper light before the authorities. The present Government had proved its desire to further the best interests of thepeople.and would certainly not refuse to consider fairly any reasonable representation ; therefore the speaker hoped that the resolution would be carried by a substantial majority, and that advantage would be taken of the Premier's visit to bring the matter at once under the notice of the head of the Government. The motion wan seconded by the Treasurer, Mrs H. B. Williamson, who strongly urged the more rapid admission :>£ girl cadets into the clerical departments of the Civil Service, in which, she sontended, there was no work beyond the japacity of the average girl, provided she oossessed the requisite eiucational attainments. With regard to equality of pay >he emphatically supported -the remarks >f ibe mover. Nothing could be more mjust than that work should be underpaid merely because it was performed by i particular sex, and she fully endorsed ;he hope expressed that such repreaentaions should be made to the authorities, ihat in State departments, at all events york should be recompensed according to ts value, independent altogether of the luesfcion of sex. Miss Stedman supported the resolution lecanseshe believed in the principle of equal pay for equal work," but person11t she was not anxious to see any great aflux of women into the Civil Service. Mrs Newcombe warmly supported the rinciple of equility of pay, arguing that ! women consented to receive less remneration for similar -work they -were radically abetting the sweating system MraO'Hara altogether disapproved of le employment of women in the Civil ervice. a interesting character. The resoition was carried with one disaon- j*' entj and, on the motion of Mrs New- « jmbe, seconded by Mrs S. Wright, Mes- *' lines Bullock and Williamson and Misb * cedman were appointed a deputation v i wait upon the Premier with the resoln- j "' on, ' » * y