THE WOMEN'S PART

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2895, 6 October 1916, Page 3

THE WOMEN'S PART

..ADDRESS BY LADY STOUT. FRANCHISE COMMEMORATION. At the meeting umich was held lastevening iu Trinity ■ Church, Newtown, render the auspices of the W.C.T.U., iu commemoration of the obtaining of the franchise .for .women in this country, an inspiring address was given by Lady Stout. After the performance of a brief musical programme and a few. introductory... remarks by Dr. Platts•Mills, who was.supported on. the platform by Mrs. Evans, M.A., Dr.. Edith Huntley, and Mrs. ' Houlder, Lady Stout commenced her lecture by saying that'although women in this country had possessed the franchise for 23 years, they had not yet realised their responsibilities or their power. Women's place- was in the homo, undoubtedly, but it seemed that those who had raised that cry had not realised how wide a field was-covered by the word "home." The work that women were doing in e\ery direction in Great Britain was reviewed, including that of the women police. On tho Continent, in'the United States, in Canada, and in Australia, as well as in England, excellent work had been done by women police, and yet, although they had, been fighting for them here, and although they had the franchise, they had not yet- obtained their services. In Great Britain, of, late years, there was hardly a Royal Commission set up that had not had-women as members of it. In tho Royal Commissions for venereal diseases, for divorce, etc., -.there wero women sitting upon them,,and yet when the Royal Commission in this country was sot up to deal with the Trcntham trouble some time -agOj not a woman composed its personnel. Tho Board of Control of Liqour Control in England had don© splendid work in investigating tho inatter of drinking among women, and had proved that .• there was no more drinking among them since the war than there had been before. It also pronounced the opinion that, it was a great mistake to 'have special, legislation in regard to drink among • women. That the same laws should apply to men as well, was one of its findings. In regard to the power women had in New Zealand by possessing the franchise, Lady Stout asked what had they done with it? What had they done to increase the protection of children and women ? It was a terrible thing that little children who had suffered from dreadful assaults should ..be questioned by police, by judges, and by lawyers, all men. Such cases should be-considered by. women. In the United States women dealt with them, and iri this country women were wanted for the courts, for patrolling the parks, and the vicinity of campis, railway stations, etc., and to keep a watchful eye upon'houses of. ill-fame. What were women about that they did not join together and demand these reforms;" and demand more protective moasures for their; boys and girls, till they were, twenty-one years of age, ,| and had knowledge to guide them. Of all the countries that wero engaged in the war,, said tho speaker, New Zealand was practically the only one that had done nothing, or next to nothing to protect its soldiers against drink. Some time ago, Colonel Potter, in speaking of the social evil in connection with drink, had said that it was 1 when the soldiers were under the influence of alcohol that they fell victims, to those evils. In England the. Government had taken over the control of. numbers of hotels and distilleries

where a non-intoxicating liquor was made. Why could not the samo thing bo dona hero? .In Franco thoro was not only restriction of tho sale of liquor, but it was prohibited altogether. What a difference hero! Wonion hero In truth were asleep or else they had forgotten their" homes and their children, or they would not have allowed other countries to havo set tho pace and not ' follow themselves. And yet at this limo the organisation of women was so complete. Everywhere they wero banded into organisations for working for the soldiers, but while they need not give up their sewing there were responsibilities that should'-bo clunij' to above all others. The/ moral welfare of their •men folk had to he cared for, even more than their physical welfare. As for tho war regulations regarding undcsirablo* women, they wore merely a. laughing stock jwhere they were not clangorous. To drivo looso women away from the towns was simply to scatter disease elsewhere in tho country. - Earnestly Lady Stout assured her .audience that they must not accept any assurance which was given them that obnoxious measures were not to be brought forward. They had been deceived before, and they must not let themselves bo deceived or blinded by flattery. The Royal Commission in England had pronouneed against compulsory notification in re-gard-to venereal disease, and in Sydney Mr. Black, who.had believed iu regulation' and ' in ' (notification, now believed that that was not tho way to deal with tho.evil. It was not' the women, but the men who wero tho carriers of disease. If women aro blinded by the Government-to accept, legislation in regard to these-two methods they wouTd bo betraying their birthright and all that had been fought for and won by Josephine Butler, Stead, and others. ■ The only thing that women could accept was a puro : life. Everywhere German • ideas had penetrated the.world in science, in religion, in philosophy, and also thero was a great danger that German standards and idea 6 wero being accepted, in regard to womanhood. 'Disease was one of the ways in which men were made unfit, and in all sorts of insidious ways Germans were striking at the health ' of our nation, and caus. ing low ideals to penetrate everywhere. Everything, after all, in regard to these questions came back to the point that a woman's place was her home, and wherever her children went, in tho citv, in the country, or in other lands fighting for their Empire, for justice and freedom, there 'was woman's home just as much as in her four walls. Wherever her children went thero should her influence follow. At the close of the address a resolution was proposed by Mrs. A. R. Atkinson, to the effect that this meeting of Wellington women urges the Minister'of Justice to appoint immediately women police to visit tho railway stations, and wharves, to patrol slum areas, and" the vicinity of the mihtary camps, to keep a watchful eye upon houses of ill-fame, to visit public parks,- to prevent young women from being'molested,'and also to put detectives on tho track of persons suspected of endeavouring to decoy young girls for immoral purposes. Dr. Edith Huntley seconded the resolution, which was passed with enthusiasm. Mrs. AVright also spoke to tho resolution.

A deputation, consisting of Lady Stout, Dr. Edith Huntley, Dr. PlattsMills, Mrs./Evans, M.A., and Mrs. Houlder, will wait" upon tho Minister of Justice to .present the resolution.