WOMEN’S FRANCHISE IN N.Z.

White Ribbon, Volume 23, Issue 7, 1 September 1951, Page 6

WOMEN’S FRANCHISE IN N.Z.

What have .Yew Zealand women gained by the vote? Miss C. E. Henderson, M. A., J.P., exSupermtcndent of the W.C.T.LI. Legal and Parliamentary Department says that a survey show, that before women had the franchise, during 52 years, SEVEN statutes dealing with the problem' of women and children were passed by the Yew Zealand legislature. In 45 years after the franchise more than FIFTY enactments were passed beneficial not only to women and children, hut to the whole community. These cover such things as: child welfare, youth welfare, children’s courts, raising of the marriage age, temperance instruction provided for in the syllabus of primary schools, family protection acts, women’s property act, acts admitting women to many callings and professions, which previously had been open only to men, social security and many other acts. Since IKBS, the Women’s C hristian Temperance I’nion and other Women’s organisations in Yew Zealand have been active in asking for all these tilings. With the franchise conies responsibility —the responsibility to take our place as citizens m our country. We have a responsibility to care for the rights of others and we, who call ourselves Christian Temperance women, must shoulder our responsibilities to others, for are we not bonded together to work for (»od, for Home, and for Humanity ?