WELLINGTON TOPICS

Hokitika Guardian, 21 April 1927, Page 4

WELLINGTON TOPICS

W 0 MEN’S FR A N CIIIS E. THE AGE QUESTION. j to “ Guardian.”) WELLINGTON. April 19. liotli tlit* Wellington daily papers (imi in tlie British Prime Minister’s proposal to extend the parliamentary franchise to women at the age ol twenty-one a (teg on which to hang homilies roueerning the -respective rights and privilege, of the sexes. Ihe

''Dominion” tells its readers tha: the principal argument Used against the extension is ilint " though a man. or a woman, in the legal sense, ma.' 1,,. (l | age at twenty-one, maturity ol mentality is not reaehetl till at least live- veins Intel." The morning paper .seems to endorse this contention, a little timidly perhaps, hut. on that account none the less significantly. "On reflection.” it states. " there is something to he aid Ini this objection. The exercise ol the vote is a very responsible function of citizenship, reaclij 11 ,r j( S highest point when discharged with an intelligent appreciation ol the issues at -wlw. The average young man or woman of 91 knows very little, and prohahly cares very little, about political matters. While, therefore, it may he difficult to understand the protracted opposition ol the Ilritisli public to giving even a limited suffrage to women, it must be admitted that the claimants for an age-limit ol 2d are arguing on practical ground.” If tlnvming woman of twenty-one had to await the maturity of her mentality for a further live years she would not he qualified to vote till she was twentysix and even then might not have an opportunity to exercise her privilege I ill she was thirty or more. LINGERING DOUBTS.

The •' Post ” also lias lin"erin<t; douhts as to the propriety of allowing young people of twenty-one to exercise the franchise on equality with their elders. “ The principle ol equality did not necessarily involve the "rant of the franchise to women of twenty-

one,” it says, referring to a previous debate oil the subject in the House ol Commons, '* and the suggestion was made that the age should he twentylive for both sexes. It would, of course, have been impossible to disfranchise the men under twenty-five already on the roll, hut those of Ihoin who voted at the last general election will have reached that age before the next, and for the purposes of future enrolments the sexes would start from scratch. ’As this suggestion was received with favour by representative Liberals there seemed to lie a good chance of its adoption, hut for some reason or other it has evidently been found to lie impracticable. . • Ihe fear that at any age a sex vote will enable the women to lord it over the men seems to us contrary to experience and to cnniinousense. . . In

more than thirty years’ experience of women's franchise in this country there has been m> more evidence of a sex vote in general polities than of an age vote, and the fear of such a thing appears to he equally visionary in Great Pritain.” The evening paper appears after all to have reached the '•(inclusion that universal adult suflerage is the logical base for a tree democracy. DAIRY CONTROL. During the holiday the dairy controversy was given a rest, as was appropriate to the season and its associations; hut a paragraph or two from a letter appearing in the " Dominion " this morning in defence of the Prime Minister’s attitude towards the (hairman op the Dairy Hoard, may he quoted without giving ollence to anyone .s susceptibilities. “ A large mini her of people in New Zealand have felt, the writer .-ays. ” that if any blame is attachable to Mr Coates, it is because lie did not ask Parliament to interfere •it an earlier stage and make this dogmatic school of eonvpulsionists held their hand at least until the market conditions were more favourable. Mr M.-issey stated in the I louse when the Pill was first discussed, that his reason for putting Government nominees on the hoard was to he sure that this 'dangerous experiment ’ was not intrelnced 1 ext opt under the most favourable market conditions.’ . . The

very circumstances came into existence to meet which Mr .Massey had insisted on Government representatives on tlio hoard, and yet Mr Grounds blames Mr Coates for listening to. or apparently, even consulting, the Government nominee. May I point out that this was the very reason why Mr Massey had put nominees on the hoard, and Mr Coates, his successor, used this safeguard exactly as Mr Massey had intended, and Mr Paterson functioned just as he should have." 'I hose statements are not new hut in view of the attempts that are being made to disguise the issue they will hear ropetl-

KATANA AND fllS TKACH ING. Archbishop Averill’s allusions to Katana and his teaching, which some of

the friends of the " Maori prophet are characterising as "an unjustifiable and unfair attack upon a worthy man." have attracted a good deal of attention here, as they were hound to do coining from such a source. The casual newspaper reader will have accepted the Archbishop’s statements without any hesitation ns actual facts. They will have believed that Katana has posed as a prophet and as a worker of miracles, and that he has prospered and grown rich on the gullibility of his dupes. Kut there is another side,of the story—a very different one—which presents this remarkable man in unite a dilferont light, lie lays no claims to the gift of prophecy—the title "prophet” is one conferred upon him by the newspapers

—and he simulates no miraculous powers. He simply pins his faith to the gospel as it is set out in the S' ripturek and appeals to his (lock, and to any others who will listen to him, to accept the teaching of the Bible as the inspired. word of God. There are in the North Island several ordained Ministers of the Archbishop's own church who have looked closely into Katana’s teaching and works and pronounced i hem to he in keeping with tiu‘ primitive Christian faith which placed no great store upon forms and ceremonies, hut insisted oil high ideals and aspirations. With such evidence on Katana’s side it is impossblc to believe the Archbishop has fully acquainted himself with the facts.