SHOULD WOMEN' BE IN PARLIAMENT.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 2, 5 June 1930, Page 2

SHOULD WOMEN' BE IN PARLIAMENT.

"Whsit about these 'ere women in Parliament, Billf" ■ "Good luck to 'em, say 3I; give 'em a chance. They're not frightened of work> as you knows, Tom, and as thej makes good wives and miotheiSj wihy s<houldn 't ithey make good members of Parliament ?'' replied Bill. ."If it 'a talking they're after, why, my missus

iwould beat the band. She's been talkingivait me for the last twenty-iive yeai», so she's had some practice. You should jiiist hear her when she gets on her women's right, "continued Bill.

"Aye, that's just the worst of them; they think they have all the- rights and us poor chaps have none at all. Hoivrsomever, 1., think you're right, Bill;1 l§t '.ein'have a try."

two: men, Bill Pollard/?and l^m §te-wart, sat on the parade in the shelter, lookiD'g outon the sunlit waters'of tiiollarl>our. I>t >was. A their Junct hour, and every day. thefriends and ;jjnjoyeri a friendly pipb Waiting; for the siren .to scream, its yarning, to thiein to work again. ■;., ■

The'affairs of t-he country, the disagreements in the c.hurch<>s, the* vexed question, of transport, and, in ; fact, all items, of local interest, were ..discussed daily^ by those two workmen.

Tom Stewart was-not quite as going aii Ms friend, and -in spite of his with. Bill that 'women should have a' chance. in PaTlianiteut if they wanted to, he felt, in has heart thaJt the. proper place for his oiwn wicfe was th«, home.

.After tv few mi,nutos' quiot .thdugltt1 (tue turned' tio his mate.; "How would you'like it, Billj if your .own wife wanted to go gadding- alboufc speeeliifyutg and was a thinking of going ,down 'to Wellington all on her own for; a: ■good, part of the year.'lt's different when you. brings it homey mafre. How would you dike it, I>aysl" ;: . .'..; "' '[."'.'>,

"Well, Tom," answered Pollard serr iouslji"! told you1 that my wife could talk. She's been a mighty good wife to me, and has brought up them kids well.

They're all earning now. Mind} I don't say as Sally was so much at keeping a place clean and spick and span, end a)U that, but siie -was allus good tern-. pered, she n>ever abused me if IM had a glass too much;; and if any of the children were ill, she would nurse them night and day till s&e could hardly stand, and never a cross -word from her, or a grumble. She's not what you'd, call thrifty, either, but you can't have everything, and I allus take care as something is put by every week, no matter what t»he missus wants. What I say is this, Tom, if it was my -wife as uras being asked to stand for* Parliament I sfaiould ;be mighty proud, and though I'd miss her aiwful like, I'd kelp her all I knew. 1' Bill smoked in silence for a time—-he was thinking deeply. "Well, Bill, yo^raa^BHtys differen* )to me. It's just lrfe*|fc to give tray to your missus ; yoa'veaPrays dtone it, but I'm afraid I don.'taJLed' like that. I tyrant my Mary at homl to fuss round lime a bit, and go -out with: me to the

pictures now and again. And what do you think the iboya "would do without their mothertNo—no, I could never leit my wife take part in these 'ere public affairs, and I'm sure she'd never want to—she 'd be scared , out of her life. She's a nervous thing, afrakl even to cross the street unless she has her hand on my arm. Why, bless "my soul, Bill, if slic goes to spend a day with a friend th-eJiouse is all upside down ■lirie; >she just has to stay home and keep everything going. She's a good cook, too is Mary. Why, me and the boys can nev-. er eait otTner people'sfood, we've got so used to m;otiier's^way of cooking things; She does look after us all, I can tell you I simply* could not spare her to go gallivanting aJbout like I sees some women. No, I couldnU her, Bill. I may seem seilfish, but I'm a bit old fashioned about women. I thinks as Tiow- tiae-ix •place is at home—let 'em leave the to the men. '■'■.. Tom drew a deep puff from h-is favourite pipe.. He really had Uittle patience with. Bill's new-fangled" notions, \ and he would never let Iris w.ife spend ,tijire, attentling eQanmittee -meetings s -and all that.-Bill Js. wife -was different. ; T<he : sire.n screamed, and the, two friends strolled to their jobs, leaving VfuTthier discussion, until the morro|w. , Bill tried ito afoothe Ms mate by sayJtfag: "Never mind, old chap, it's all a ,'matte r of . being suited. Your wife wouldn 't like it. My wife would simply iglory in it—and I expect it's the same with the men—'tihem. that like it can do the joib, and them as doesn 7t want to be botihered can just vote, and hope the best man or woman will go in."