PEACE CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 275, 30 April 1915, Page 8

PEACE CONFERENCE.

ENGLISH DELEGATES ABSTAIN". THE OPENINC ADDRESS. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received April 2!), 5.20 p.m. London, April 2!). In the House of Commons Mr. J. M. Robertson, secretary to the Board of Trade, stated that '17,000 women had volunteered for war service and that 13,000 would shortly be engaged in the manufacture of munitions. •

Mr. K. McKeuna, Home Secretary, refused 150 women's applications to attend the Peace Conference. He issued permits to a carefully selected twentyfour. Remembering the danger of a country beset with foreign spies, tlie delegates were warned to use tlie most extreme caution and against imprudently giving information. No delegates departed, communication with Holland having been stopped. Doctor Alletta Jacobs, in his opening address to the conference, said that men considered the economic results of the war,\ the women considered the gri«f, pain, misery. Women's votes would enable international disputes to be referred to arbitration.

Received April 2i), 11 p.m. London, April 29. Te delegates at the Women's Peace Conference included representatives of belligerent and neutral nations. General Doiire expressed the opinion that the conclusion of the war would bring a durable peace, and declared that womanly feeling was above race hatred. The German delegate said her countrywomen stretched out the hands of friendship in international love, a sentiment which was reciprocated by the British delegate. jThy Hungarian delegate said women would lie unworthy of the coming franchise unless they proved they were doing something to abolish the war. The Italian delegate declared that the horrors of war were approaching her country. Men wore starving owing to the stoppage of trade, and demanding tp be sent to the front, whore they were certain of-food. Even Italian peace societies declared in favor of war. ,