AID FOR THE HELPLESS

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 17, 15 October 1920, Page 5

AID FOR THE HELPLESS

PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN ; ANNUAL MEETING OF SOCIETY Her .Excellency Viscountess Jellicoe • presided over the annual meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, held last evening in the Town - Hall Committee Room. There was a very large attendance, including Ladv Stout, Mrs. A. B. Atkinson, Hon. M., Cohen, M.L.C., and Dr. A. K. Newman, , M.P. In opening the meeting, Her Excellency expressed pleasure at being able to meet those interested in a movement, which worked' on. proper lines, would be productive of the highest results. . One of the greatest wnrks in life was to help the less fortunate, and the report Bhowed the' society had achieved a great deal, and had porformed national and valu- . fible service. "To any of us," added Lady Jellicoe, "possessing many gifts or few, there is nothing better than helping the helpless' in a practical way." Her Excellency' referred to the excellence of girls' clubs as a means of social intercourse, and added that during the war ehe had had personal experience of many women's organisations. "Home training is all-important," said Her Excellency, "and it (ian be supplemented by the work of tho society." The objects that , the society had in view were all indica- ' * tive of deeply sympathetic motives. .. . The society's work would be helpful to any Government in one of the most advanced countries of the world, and would tend to produce strong,' vigorous, and contented manhood and womanhood. Before reading the annual report, the president, Mrs. A. R. Atkinson, on behalf of the society, ■ welcomed lord and Lady Jellicoe to New Zealand. In Lord Jellicoe, she raid, Nw Zealand _ possessed a Governor-General in the highest rank of Empire-builders, abd one whoso work during the Great War had endeared him to all sections of lift Empire, given him a high place in th>? affections of the people. Lord _ Jol'icoe, , elio said, was the greatest Admiral since ' the days of Lord Nelson, and New Zenlanders would never forget this. Alms of Soclity. The report was then read and adopted unanimously, on the. motion of Lady Stout, who ©aid that it was time the wife of a Governor-General had been present, and this was a good omen. (Applause.) She believed the society had the support of all—including tho men! (L? lighter.) Sho believed that the Go\rernment' should assist poor people with large families .instead of sendiftg them •to the Charitable Aid Board. Sho referred to the need for women, photo-play censors v in the Dominion, saying that films to-day showed only the men's viewpoint. .... In conclusion, Lady Stout referred to drink as the cause of all trc-üble. Dr. Agnes Bennett made an appeal to women to coma forward and assist in public movements. The reason women : were pot in Parliament was because they had not organised. Women were need- '■ ed on boards of governors and on public bodies. . . . The women wlio did publio ,work were at present all too few, and In tho period of transition that New Zealand was going through, definite action was neoded. Modern economics emphasised tie need for the womanly factor. Dr. Bennett referred to the need for accommodation for business gjrls at the . present day, and urged tho throwing open of the doors of those who could house thorn, adding: "Wo have been too selfish in the past, and we must now show altruism." The Social Evil. At this stage Mrs. P. Chapman proposed ithat Mrs. A. E. Atkinson be elected president, • and this was seconded by Dr. Watkins, who spoke of the social .evil, maintaining that the best means of combating this was to teach the'young the truth about'venereal disease. It was .necessary to replace the haphazard information that children obtained from their companions, by truth, told in the home. Their sense of responsibility to the community should be .inculcated in children, 6aid Dr. Watkins, and they ehould be trained in high ideals; as the future of civilisation depends on this being done. /Mrs. Atkinson was then, elected preai- . dent. .

Dr. Kennedy Elliott moved that Ladf Stout, Mrs. W. A. Evans, M.A., F. Chapman, and Sprott be ekcted vicepresidents, t and said that there wero people who said; the Christian Church did not identify itself with works to help the poor and lowly; but this was a lie. The Churoh had always tried to "do its bit." He referred in eulogistic terms to tho society and its work. Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P., 6aid tho days of the fighting men were past, and the future lay-in. tlio hands of the fighting women.. However, in tho last 20 years, since l women had had franchise, they hadi made "rottenly bad use of it." The women had "turned down" for many peculiar reasons the pioneer women who stood for Parliament. He had tried to get the Minister of Justice to appoint I women justices, but this had not yet 9 ' been done. ... He believed that women I should be elected to tho Legislative Council. There was n6 doubt that hardship existed in New Zealand, one family li« knew of having to live on 9s. 4<l. a weiek! In conclusion, he urged the women to vote for women at City Council elections. There were 15,000 women on the roll, and u'omon could ensure the election of women. The vice-presidents nominated were then elected. The Rev. A. T. B. Pago moved that. Mrs. J. Kirkcaldie be elected treasuiui. In doing so, he paid a tribute to th« raciety, praising it for its undenomina i tional character. The motive of the so-' ciety was a splendid one. This vrasj seconded.by Miss Coad, who spoke of certain phases of social work. The committee was elected as follows:— Mesdamcs A. lioby, J. 11. Glasson. M'Gavin, It. Gibbs, Line, M. E. Ewen, W. F. Ward, Ponsonby, Glorer, Luke, Chatfield, W. M'Carthy-Reid, C. H-. Izard, H. Kirkcaldie, Mother Joi-aph Aubert, and Dr. Platts-Mills, Misses Coates, Stewart, Parlane, and Inglis, Dr.' Ada Paterson. , - Other officers were elected as follows Secretary: Mrs. L. Waters. 1 Trustees: Sir Francis H. D. Bell, Hon. J. G. W. Aitken, Messrs. W. Allan and E. Tregear, and the Itev. W. A. Evans. Hon. solicitors: Messis. A. I{. Atkinson, Sir Francis Bell, C. sL Izajd, Smith, H. Cooper (Palmerston North), Field,' T. C. A. Hislop, Myers, Morison, Young, Webb, J. M. B. Stevenson, G. Lloyd (Dannevirke), T, Neave, 0. E. Stout (Wtiangarei), 0. li. Fell, (Nelson), F. A. Ue La Mare (Hamilton), W. G. Wood (Napier), II H. Cornish, A. Blair, A. Hoggard, and Moirison.

Hon. Physicians: Dr. E. Platts-Mills, Dr. Agnes Bemiott, Dr. .Alice Gow, 'Dr. Mackenzie, Dr. Ada Paterson, Dr. -D. Stout, Dr. E. Stout, Dr.-Young, and Dr. Campbell-Begg.