DUTIES AND RIGHTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 6, 29 March 1927, Page 5

DUTIES AND RIGHTS

WOMEN’S NATIONAL COUNCIL MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the National Council of Women was held in the G.F.S. rooms last evening, when the president, Dr. Hilda Northcroft, presided. A welcome was extended to Miss Henderson, of Christchurch, a former Dominion secretary of the council, and to Mesdames Craig, of Hamilton, and Goffee, of Gisborne, members of the National Council who are among the delegates to the W.C.T.U. Conference. A long report of the work accomplished at the recent conference in Carnachan, who assisted her, was carFlatt, and after discussion of it a hearty vote of thanks for her painstaking work and for that of Miss Garnachan, who assisted her, was carried / unanimously. Notification of changes in the personnel of their representatives to the council was received from a number of affiliations, among them being: Mrs. Pankhurst, from the Auckland Ladies’ Benevolent Society; Mrs. Jellie and Miss A. R. Quayle from the Honorary Members’ Association; Miss Ethel Wellington, from Sister Esther’s Benevolent Mission; Miss Cox, re-elected by Y.W.C.A. Business Girls’ Club; Mrs. F. Whyte, from Auckland District Young Women’s Bible Class Union. The resignation of Mrs. Oxley from the council was regretfully accepted. The general business of the meeting then took place. The delegate from the Ex-Service Women’s Association moved that the council consider the advisability of asking the hospital authorities to provide women attendants to accompany the ambulance to the scene of any accidents in which women are concerned. The motion received very general support from other members and was carried. The delegate from the Honorary Members’ Association moved and it was decided that a letter should be sent to the State Department pointing out that as the depletion of food fish in the Hauraki Gulf is becoming so serious the waters should be closed to motor-driven nets. It was decided and carried that the

Government be asked to consult with the Imperial authorities as to the advisability of making old-age pensions interchangeable between Great Britain and the Dominions. It was announced that Mrs. Dreaver is standing as a candidate for a seat on the Board of Directors of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind, and the president earnestly wished Mrs.

Dreaver every success in the election. The importance of women participating in municipal and local body elections was stressed by Dr. North - croft, who pointed out that it was not merely the duty of every woman to exercise her vote, but it was also their duty wherever women were contesting any seats against men to vote solid l y for the woman. The school committee elections take place on April 13, and here again Dr. Northcroft urged every woman to see that a number of women were returned to the committees. She regretted that so few women were on committees of schools, and instanced the committee on which she sits, with one other woman and thirteen men. The fact that there are girls to be educated as well as boys was one she said that any listener to the usual discussions of the majority of that committee would never dream of. Whenever a question came up for voting it automatically became a sex division and the two women’s votes would be recorded against the entire male strength. Such a state of things should not be, the president insisted, and again urged women to ensure the return of more women to every possible body. It was decided that the next me iing be held on May 2, and that it take the form of a conversazione. A committee was formed to arrange the evening, which would probably be held in the Priscilla Tearooms, of which Miss Quayle had offered the use. A vote of thanks was passed to Mrs. Averill for the use of the G.F.S. rooms for the meeting.