New Zealand News.

Taihape Daily Times, 2 May 1918, Page 6

New Zealand News.

CHRISTCHURCH WOMEN'S EXi. TBAORDINARY MEETING. CHRISTCHURCH, April 30. ThV Checking of figures late toilght by the Defence officers show that of the Christchurch dTaft of the 41rt Reinforcements there are now only 18 men unaccounted for. These 18 comprise six members of the Second Division and 12 of the First Division. : *

A mass meeting of women called to protest against the Government's xe-'usal to increase the allowance to wives of Second Division men, was hjld in the Choral Hall to-night. There was a moderate attendance. In the early stages of the meeting the proceedings took a lively tone. Dr. Thacker moved that tntTmeeting should form a Soldiers' Dependents' League. Mrs. R. D. Martin immediately rose and moved that a petition should be circulated calling upon membersT"of Parliament to resign and go to the country for a general election. In response to a query from the chairman as to whether she was seconding Dr. Thacker's resolution, the speaker declared that the meeting was a women's meeting, and that men were not entitled to speak at it. Several men here attempted to speak, but were cried down, and Mrs. Martin's resolution was carried. Dr. Thacker: That only strengthens my resolution.

A lady member of the audience then assured Dr. Thaeker that women could arun their own affairs, and after some consultation with the chairman, Dr. Thaeker withdrew his motion. ; The chairman calling for questions, half of the audience rose to speak, and some very divergent views—few of them bearing upon the original object of the meeting—were expressed. ; A Man: I propose that this meeting of Christchurch women demand a referendum before taking our "husbands' from "us." (Uproarious laughter.) .The resolution was seconded and carried. Another Man: I move that Mrs. .Martin take the chair. "'After some 'discussion Mrs. Martin took the chair, and a collection "was taken up. A Dunedin visitor (a conscientious objector) then addressed the meeting. After considerable delay a committee was elected to deal vnlh the resolutions carried.

-SECOND DIVISION LEAGUE'S PRESIDENT INTERVIEWED, GISBORNE, April 30. Mr. Armstrong, National President of / the Federated Second Division league, who is on a visit to Gisborne, interviewed regarding the demonstrations at Christchurch, said the Press message was the only information he aad to go upon. It was necessary to nake it quite clear that the League must not be held in any way responsible lor the reported" riotous behaviour. That happening, however, he said, could not be judged as anything other than the outcome of a genuine outburst of public feeling. The history of the civilised world showed that a public demonstration of a more or less severe character inevitably came ;with the exhaustion of public patience, following the failure of the people's Parliament to secure justice. It was also necessary to realise that the demonstration was not against the principle of service, but against what wrs regarded as unjust conditions of service. The recent meeting at Christchurch at which a stronglywcrded resolution was carried, was apparently an open public meeting held under the auspices of the Christchurch League. Without going into the merits o? the case, it was necessary to state that any resolution carried at such a meeting could not be regarded a& committing' the League in any way. The general policy of the League could only "be determined by the actual members, through their accredited representatives at the Dominion Conference.

Mr. 'Armstrong concluded by saying that the announcement of a further increase of the separation allowances for children, and better conditions for widowed mothers, was another mileStone on the League's road to accquate conditions of service. It now remained for the Government to remove from the wife's shoulders the all -too heavy burden of providing for her lrasband's return. This could be done T>y, increasing the wife's allowance to 6s per day and holding the whole of the soldier's deferred pay until his return.