WOMEN JURORS

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 246, 19 October 1942, Page 4

WOMEN JURORS

VOLUNTARY SERVICE. Approval of the purpose of the Women Jurors (No. 2) Bill was expressed by all who spoke on the subject in the House of Representatives, and it was put through all stages and passed without amendment. The Bill provides that women between 25 and 60 who possess the necessary qualifications as jurors may serve on juries, if they wish to. By making jury service for women voluntary, said the Minister for Justice (Mr Mason), they were ayoiding the necessity of dealing with applications for exemption. In England women were giving compulsory jury service and the scheme was working well. Mrs M. M. Dreaver (Government. Waitemata), who introduced the Bill earlier in the year when it was declared out of order, said that the women's organisations of New Zealand had been trying to obtain such a measure for some time, and hundreds of women would enter their names for jury service. Some of the O'bjections made in the past to the idea of women serving on juries did not, apply now. The Leadei of the Opposition (Mr Holland) said that every member of the House would concur with the Bill, and Mrs C. C. S. Stcwart (Government. Wellington West) and Mrs A. N. Grig'g (National. Mid-Canter-bury) also supported the measure. During the committee stage Mr C. W, Boswell (Government. Bay of Islands) said he was; astonished that the women members had not pressed for comp'Ulscry service by women, because in his opinion that wa,s the only way in which they would get the toest type of women to do the job. xt