MRS SUFFRAGETTE, M.P.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 324, 16 January 1909, Page 4

MRS SUFFRAGETTE, M.P.

WHAT I'IaTU'OAT POLITICIANS HAVJC I'L'KRIK.MEIJ IX jCL'LAXD. 11l no country in the world do women possess greater political power than in Iceland. Under Ihe Hew Constitution, grimlcd to the people of that island in i»l« l).v their sovereign lord, the Kinol l-li'iiinark, women may ,„l u f or mull ° I'ci's of the Allliing-llie Parliament of Iceland—un the same leuns as men;' 11 »d Ihcy may also he. elected us nicm'"'rs of that body, and as local authorities. Several have gained scats on the Althing during the past live years, uud liiiic considei'alily inlluoiiccd the debates '"id legislation of that assembly. In view of the suil'ragcttt'.,' agitation nt Home, it is interesting to consider how far the politicians in petticoats !"»•<■ •■iiniilo g»«d" in Iceland. Hie writer ha, paid two visits l„ behind, and i, eonvineed thai, if ever

a country stood in need of thorough going .social reforms, it i, that bleak - 1 >; disease-haunted island.

I'roliiilily nci penpl,. in Ktir ( i|ic live ii •neli a comlitinn us iht- Ice 1.-niiln-s. Tli,. IiNKI (.'.■iistiluiioii ~.,„„ inlo beine; liecunso the iiivn n-spmisihli 'or tin. ciiinitry's jjovei' nit | m ,| „iaili ' jrllilslly ii,Oss uf lliinu,. | u ~].,,,, „, •ii.i»yin K ciiMipli.l,. .li,„ Ul . nil,.. ils h-r,. "!<"«', tl„. AHhiiifj was maile direeth !rs l *iN.' 1" tin' Kiiijr »f Denmark ilii'niieji 11 resident Minister t'„r Iceland Ami Hi,. DimiUli I'arlianieiil ||„ l,| „, U l llf ,9111,. till!.- to -ill. 111,. eolllllv . 'hame tu pnuliue sliitosunini.ii, if j| •™l<l mil |ir,iilnn. sliitcsin'ca. Tin' wniiien have slimrii a keen inter ■>t in pnlitics. liut I hey ,|„ inn ii ni1,.,,, ." MTk always l„ elect tl,.'ir „w,i s,. x lliry I'xiii't |,1,.,1«(.s f|.,i„, „,al,. canili l.'HOs 1.. sii|,|..ii.| tlii-ir favourite 5i.],,.,,,,.. H .social reform- W|,..,.ii,|| v ||,„s,. ,| t ,.,|. M.; with lli,. ilvink irallic. ' Driiiikoiincs.. i- '»f tin- li'i'i'iili'-t ciir-c. „r leehiinl Mns| ,„■ | In, ,„,„,,!, | iv , ~., |„ MI .| V f . u ,„ s l.ntil ri'i-i'iit years tl„. fanner went I, l.cikjuvik, Ih,. capital, mi,.,, a n . in . j„ ■iM'ly siininivr, In sell wool. || t ; i la ,'| ~ Inmki'ii limn (1i0r,.. lasting -nun. ,layiv weeks, ami tli,.;, ueiii Ih'miii. 1,, keei; '"l"T until lie caine auain next y ■ '•HI m.w 11,,. |„.„i,| o jr,, („ |.i„. ( mvll < ui.l villaees miiel, nflea,,,-. „n,| ||,cv 'i-Hi.U' liai-k liijiior In the farms. The •»n»iiiii|>l.iiiii uf -pints |„. r head »ft 1,., «>|inlatiiin is oiioniiinis.

'I lii' women politicians Imvi' stieiircil Hi,. „f several verv drastic laws '"i- Hie reside! ion of tin. liquor tinllUl'"l it. is (luul.tfiil whether Uic.sc incisures Im«. really decreased tin-sum total ol llii' national drunkenness. Tim moral suasion a|i|,li, !( l |, v the .Salvation Army -which is very strovijr ami .popular iii Iceland -has ccrtainlv done more in (hat direction.

*»ini' winiti-n l-i'funiKTs in Krikjavik, In.nil ,1 liv a wcll-liiiiiwi] lailv doi-lor I l '"'' I '•»■«! liiir.l l<> vim. tlic insanitary nalul.s «lii,l, arc (1„. ppniliar >unl mi■■nviiilil,. i-li«v:ick'i'isli ( - „f t|„. li-rln'mlcMN. Mmi.w sniilnry Jnus ami n-iilutions h ' lvv l » ■ Insert; 'nit H is still a coin"»'n lln'iifr, ut tlic'llot S|iri, w s- W ||i ( .n '"l'm a Mill „f (i|H.||-ilir Wllsll-lmiisi' Till' till' |'t'(l|.l(. „f l!|.ikiavik-l„ siv il W..-I """i ''iiliiily lilliiijr lii'i- ciiiri.|.-|Hil fnmi 1 slllilll I I i" wliicli Hi,. ,|irlv ~|ni;i-s< '.'■ ki'vitiil fninilivs iin. slw|iinjr. i;,.. I»ni:i'i-s in Miiml, like ivfoniuTs else-«-l"'i'i'. liiivc ilisvuvi'i-wl Hint if. i, „i,n l;l""L' to pass i, |,.,«-. ami tpiif, []„.,. tlmi;; In i'iil'uriT il. hi 111,. |„»||i ~f ,l<. c >|.- riiiilcil am! iincinil invjiulicc |„ ~ ,„nf, ssi , lK |, l;l ,|,'t„, m . >.v an nlil lii.ikjuvik Hilinnu, |l„. „„. """ memlicrs »f tl„. .Milling liavc 'limvn IliHiisi'lns Hindi ulilcr in <Waic 'ml iiiinli iiiiiiv liiishic.-sliko (nan (he "I" Mio (i!., 1. ,1,,v5." 1m sai.l. "tliJ i|iocc;i,x wow inlvrmiiiiiWv i,„,l ' ill'Ml Willi iin-;ji,l lll.llllllHt.'willlmit flic ' fliininiT of m fcul Uli'a. Whatever tin.'

subject under discussion, no member ;uuld gel iijjun his fuel without dilating mi thi; ancient glories of lt'<>liind—how ilii: taught Columbus to discover Aiueriii, how hi'i' literature wits liner than iii.i•tiling lireei'e or Koine over know, icr Vikings the greatest the world ever saw, and so on. lint tin; women are irief and to tin; point. When they are alking about tlie city sewerage, they Imi'l liuil it necessary to go Imek to Joliimhus, They have certainly inlrolueed a common-sense tone to our delates which was sadly lacking before." This harilly agrees with Ihe prevalent lotion that, if women wi'e. elected to Parliament they would talk so much that no husiness would he dune. But the women reformers have much Lo do before they can bring the lee.millers up lo the general level of lire 'Europeans," whom they ignorant])' despise. Iceland does not belong to Europe, in their opinion! Oil the farms, the house and held servants, whose name is legion, sleep ill i si|iiiilid dormitory, reeking with dirt. There is hardly a farmhouse in which (he windows will open. If you want a breath of fresh air, you liiust pull a wooden plug, about lire size of a beerbotlle cork, out of the centre of one of Ihe windows! ti) the Faroe Islands, another Danish polony, women also have the vote, anil may be elected to the Lagthing, inlocal Parliament. Thev have passed one very Cilhertinii law (here. According to an old statute, prisoners may only he fed on bread and water. The women thought this was a poor Met in a country with such a rigorous pinnate. The natural remedy would have lieen lo change the law, and provide better food in gaol, lint the Lag-j thing decided that prisoners should ■serve three days in durance, be released for the following three days, and so ■in, until the sentence, was completed, lifter running, of course, twice its stated length. The islands are so small Hint a prisoner could hardly escape during his periods of liberty; and, if a ship ■omes in. lie can be re-arrested at once, to prevent him from stowing himself iway. This curious law only applies to short-term prisoners, long sentences be.ng served in Denmark.