WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 205, 25 May 1920, Page 4

WOMEN'S NATIONAL COUNCIL.

ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the Women's National Council (Wellington Branch), was hold in St. John's Schoolroom last\ evening. Miss Coad (president) occupied the chair. , The report of tho year's work already published was presented by the lion, secretary, Miss M'Gill. The balancesheet was also presented. Various points in connection v.'ith the 1 , report were discussed. In connection' with tho health patrol that had beenappointed in Wellington, Mrs. Donaldson' said that one of the difficulties of the work was the fact that the health patrol had to do her work alone. It would be more efficacious if there were another woman. Furthermore, continued Mrs. Donaldson, a dozen women could not do'» all tho work that,this one woman was supposed to do, so widespread uiid so numerous were her duties. Another cause for discussion was tho non-appointment yet of a woman sanitary inspector. Miss England considered: that they should press for this appoint-' ment to be made as soon as possible. The need for one was very great. Mrs. Corliss considered that there wiv? an extraordinary reluctance of public ■bodies in Wellington. either to employ women at all in a' public capacity or to employ women in sufficient numbers to do the work properly. Wellington) really needed two or three women sanitary, in-, spectors. Mrs, Donaldson expressed opinion that women here had themselves largely to blame for' the fact that w little was done for women. If they cor.ldy only organise and "get together' theycould niter things very quickly, and remove various drawbacks and inconveniences from which they suffered at tha present time. ' Discussing educational matters, Miss. Coad said that the situation looked a little better now than it did some timo brick. In regard to the extension of the school age, however, she viewed with apprehension the remark of the Minister of Education that "we must go slowly." They had hall too much of tlis "go slow", policy that .such'words filled her with' niisgiviugs. She thought it was a very great danger tx> this oountry tljat every year about' 10,000 children were leaving school at the age of 14. and were getting no further education. She wondered if any country realised, what the education of tho adolescent meant to it. . Upon tho education of the adolescents depended the fate of nations. Such unimaginable forces for good or evil lay latent in these growing boys and girls, and yet. they were allowed to drift away, and grow up as best they could with so much unfulfilled. Unless there were created in these adolescents a good civic spirit we were laying np for the future a potent force of unrest and discord. . She hoped that. the . Women's National Council would i.'ll agree that something should bo done as soon as possible either to. extend the school age or to. provide; for oompiulsory continuation classes. Although there were financial difficulties in the way yet it would be the. best paying investment in the long run that this country could possibly make. NewZealand in this matter, was altogether behind Great Britain, where such provisions were actually carried into effect.. Miss Coad also touched upon child labour. In England no child was'allowed' to work uuder 12 years of age, and if 14 then she or he could work only two hours a day. Such was not the ease here. The following officers were elected: Miss Ccad, president (re-elected); "ice-presidents, Lady Stout. Mrs. Chapma'i, Mrs. Johannes Andersen, Mrs. Corliss and Miss England:-' secretary and treasurer (bon.). Miss M'Gill; recording secretary, Miss Ga'vler.