“SO-CALLED FLAPPERS—?”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 455, 10 September 1928, Page 1

“SO-CALLED FLAPPERS—?”

WHAT DR. STALEY SAID STATEMENTS AT VARIANCE What did Dr. Mildred Staley sa' about “flappers” during the PanPacific Women’s Conference? Last evening many of the delegates returned by the Aoraagi, in- - Mrs. W. K. Robertson, whv> cabled a report of Dr. Staley’s remarks to the Sydney “Sun.” Dr. Staley has gone on to Canada and will not return to Auckland for some time. The report of a round-table conference, cabled to the Sydney “Sun * by Mrs. Robertson, contained the remarks which have already been credit€-d to Dr. Staley on the subject of the morality of the flapper and the business girl. These remarks thave been indignantly denied by Dr. Staley and several other members who attended the conference, but Mrs. Robertson, who is a member of the Sydney “Sun’s” literary staff, and an accredited representative at the conference. stands to her statement. “The conference admitted that tinofficial reports were not verbatim,” she said last evening on the Aorangi. “Tinreports are prepared, the recorder lurnisliing a discriminated report eliminating what is considered unnecessary Mrs. Robertson said that when a protest was made about her report the Press was refused admission to tin-round-table conferences. The Honolulu newspapers were indignant at this, but were later allowed to attend and asked to omit anything which might bt alarming. Dr. Valerie Parker, chairman of the Social Service Section, said that she would not carry on if notes were to be taken of the proceedings. This was after Mrs. Robertson’s message had appeared. Mrs. Robertson is of opinion that the heads of the conference were overcautious and fearful of the consequences. She says that the roundtable conferences would have been of no value if the Press had not been admitted—the general meetings were of no consequence at all. “The selection committee in Sydn*-v was prepared for this sort of thine.” said Mrs. Robertson, “and I was given credentials and the qualifications of :• voting delegate before I left for the conference.” Mrs. B. M. Rischbeith, chairman of the Australian delegation and president of the Australian Federation of Women Voters, had no contribution to make to the argument. She said that the remark was not made by an Australian and she did not wish to be drawn into the discussion. “The statement was never made.** said Mrs. E. Denton Leech, of Dunedin, who represented the Dominion League of Xations Union. “I was present when the incident took place. The trouble was that Mrs. Roberts.*n entered late or during the discussion and did not hear the context of the remarks. “The proceedings were much the same as committee discussions a? a, meeting. The Press was asked to respect the usual privacy that is ma’nlained on such occasions.”