TALK ON FREEDOM FRANCHISE AND BABIES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 205, 15 September 1937, Page 11

TALK ON FREEDOM FRANCHISE AND BABIES

Vases of golden daffodils decorated the luncheon tables yesterday, when members of the Napier Townswomen's Guild held their monthly Juncheon at Blythe's tea-rooms. Part of the large rooin liad been partitioned off with folding doors, and here members were received by Mrs Bruce • llarnett, chairwoman, and Miss C. Fannin, secretary, Miss Jerome Spcncer, O.B.E., president, was also present and Mrs Glenny and Mrs Lovell Smith, of the Hastings Townswomen's Guild, were visiting giuests. Mrs Lovell Smith, who was introduced bv Mrs Barnett, gave a most interesting talk, which was based on "freedom, franchise and babies." "This freedom," said Mrs Smith, "how did it originater' If we go back to the beginning of thingn we find that wliat freedom we have has been brought about by a passionate desire for social justice. The great women of the past whose names , we honour and revere were strengthened in their desire to lielp other peQple by the appalling conditions they were brought into contact with, and often . their only hope of improvingi those conditions was by changing and. • improving the laws. Women soon found that their power to do this was very negligible as long as they had no vote and so the fight for political power started. "Women in New Zealand are finding themselves in inuch the same. position to-day," continued the speaker. "Women's organisations, which started with the idea of helping women to