WOMEN AND WAR WORK.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 October 1918, Page 4

WOMEN AND WAR WORK.

SIR JOSEPH WARD’S TRIBUTE iu ENGLISH WOMEN.

In proposing at a meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children that Lady Stout- he re-el. eeted president, Sir Joseph Ward congratulated the society upon the success that had attended its philanthropic work.a'nd said that while they had not ob tained all the reforms they had worked for, some might yet he achieved in the not very distant future. During his two recent visits to England he had been struck by the wonderful ciforts made by the women of England for the uplift of humanity. He had seen something of the police work of women, and he had thought it very effective. He hoped that the Minister of Justice would soften Lis heart and appoint some policewomen in this country. They could perform very valuable work that men could not do.

Turning to the war work of the women at- Home, the Minister said that the war could not have been carried on bv Great Britain hut for the work of the women. That fact was absolutely indisputable. They had taken the places of over three millions of men who had gone to the war, and if those men had not been freed hv the women it would have been a greatly weakened force that would have represented Britain in the titanic struggle that was taking place across the Channel. Women were to be found doing all kinds of work, even to shovelling coni for the engines in the railway yards, working in shipyards doing riveting, tarring, in fact every imaginable kind of work that was previously done by men and the women wore doing it. cheerfully, too carrying on until America was ready to send her overflowing numbers across the Atlantic. Their courage too, was magnificent and the speaker gave as an instance of it the eagerness with which they waited to go back lo work in a (munitions factory where one of the greatest explosions that- had ever occurred in connection witli munitions had put an end to their operations for the time being. In France women were working evorwhere, not only driving motor lorries with supplies for the soldiers, but .actually digging trenches against the possible invasion of the Germans at the time of their great drive. Referring to the women suffrage, the speaker said that it had always had his support. He objected to the fact that there should be such a restriction for women at Home as the limiting of the vote to women of thirty oj- over. They were as fit to vote as the man of twen-ty-one, and he hoped to see that limitation soon removed. Speaking of the loss of manhood caused by tlie war, he considered it- was the duty of the Hew Zealand Parliament to take a great deal more care for preservation of infant life and of those who are responsible for bringing that life into the world. He hoped that New Zea- ; land would not be behind in. helping to bring about happier circumstances for mothers and children alike..