NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 411, 9 May 1902, Page 2

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Napier, last night. At the meeting of the National Council of the Women of New Zealand, held today, considerable discussion took place on the duty of the State to illegitimate children, and the following resolutions were unanimously agreed to : “ That in view of the hardships annually imposed upon many innocent children by the condition of illegitimacy, and the absoluto uselessness as a deterrent from immorality of legal disabilities inflicted upon these children, it is high time that all such legal disqualifications were removed," “ That considering fa) the great mortality among illegitimate children, (b) the neglected condition of many of them who help to swell the ranks of the criminal and diseased, the Council proposes : (1) That the State should make generous provision for tho maintenance, supervision, and education of all such children ; (2) that parents should be obliged to contribute, according to their means, to the support of then children ; that these children, where paternity is proved, shall possess an equal status with those born in wedlock, and shall be registered in the name of the father; (4) that a public officer, who may be a woman, shall be appointed, whose duty it would be, before the registration of the birth of an illegitimate child is complete, to discover parentage whore possible, with a view of enforcing the proper maintenance of the child.”

A paper on equal pay for equal work, dealing with the different rates of wages for male and female workers, was read, and evoked a lengthy discussion.