21
380
THE VOTE
Proprietors: THE MINERVA PUBLISHING CO. LTD. Offices: 144, High Holborn, W.C.1 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1932
NOTICE.-Letters should be addressed as follows:-
To the Advertising Manager on advertising.
THE VOTE
To the Secretary on all other business, including VOTE orders, printing, and merchandise, etc.
Telegrams:
"DESPARD, Holborn 9301, London.” Telephone: Holborn 9301.
EDITORIAL.
The Editor is responsible for unsigned articles only. Articles, paragraphs, or cuttings dealing with matters of interest to women generally will be welcomed. Every effort will be made to return unsuitable MSS. if stamped addressed envelope be enclosed, but the Editor cannot be responsible in case of loss.
THE KING'S SPEECH
The new Session of Parliament was opened by the King in State last Tuesday.
The text of the King's Speech expressed the hope that the forthcoming World Economic Con- ference would ease the present economic situation, and that the Disarmament Conference would at- tain the greatest possible measure of general dis- armament. Reference was made to the third Indian Round Table Conference. Careful super- vision over public expenditure, both national and local, was stated to be necessary. The promise was made that the Government would continue to do everything in their power to stimulate the re- covery of trade and that further plans would be taken to enable agriculture as a whole to take its proper place in the economy of the nation.
33
Unemployment, the gravest of our social prob- lems, was specially mentioned. The fact that many young men and women had never in their lives had an opportunity of regular employment was referred to, and notice was given of the Gov- ernment's intention to bring forward measures dealing comprehensively with Unemployment In- surance and the treatment of those unable to obtain work.
A promise was made of the introduction of Bills relating to Scotland to amend the procedure goy- erning private legislation, to facilitate the adminis- tration of civil justice, and for other purposes.
It was further stated that measures dealing with Rent Restriction, London Passenger Transport, and other matters of importance will be introduced and proceeded with as time and opportunity offer.
A WOMAN'S NATIONALITY Mrs, Grace Tyndall, of Newent, near Gloucester, was summoned last week for failing to register as an alien.
She married in 1910, and both she and her hus- band were British subjects. In October, 1931, the husband obtained a certificate of naturalisation in America, and became an American citizen. He returned to this country in July this year, registered as a foreigner, and was given certain instructions as regards his wife. Mrs. Tyndall, however, re- fused to register, and told the court that if she registered as an alien she really became a woman without a country. She had been to the American Consul, and he told her she was not an American, and the British Consul said she could get no help from him. "In time of war I can look nowhere for help. My property would be interned, and I should be turned into the streets." Mrs. Tyndall said she had written to the Home Office to see whether it was possible for her to return to her nationality, but had received a reply in the negative. She was not an illiterate foreigner. She said, "I am British, and will not give up my country. I have never signed the oath of allegiance to America, and I never will."
The chairman of the bench said Mrs. Tyndall
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1932
had been guilty of an offence, and would he fined 205., or seven days. Her father, an ex-police ser- geant, advised her to do the seven days. We only wish that every British woman married to a for- eigner would refuse to register as an alien in this country, refuse to pay any fine, and elect to go to prison for any length of time the court might im- pose. Nationality is a fundamental right, and it is monstrous that it should be taken away from any adult person without that person's consent.
MUITSAI IN HONG KONG
On July 15th last we reported in THE VOTE that Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, Secretary of State for the Colonies, in reply to a question by Mr. Rhys Davies (Lab., Westhoughton), declared that the mui-tsai system in Hong Kong had now been abolished; that the girls who were mui-tsai had been registered, and their status changed to that of free paid domestic workers.
Last week we received at this office several Press
inen-
cuttings from the " South China Morning Post," dated August 4th, August 13th, September 8th, September 22nd, September 29th, and October 6th, reporting prosecutions for not registering mui-tsai, for ill-treating them, and in one case for selling a girl into prostitution. All these cases were brought into court by a man inspector, and the extraord- inary thing is that the fines imposed were so inade- quate-50 dollars being the biggest sum tioned. A Hong Kong dollar is worth is. 3d., so that a 50 dollar fine can hardly be looked upon as a deterrent for slave owning in the British Colony of Hong Kong. At the present time there is only one inspector (a European police officer), who has two Chinese women assistants, to deal with abuses of this character. It is estimated that there must be quite 20,000 mui-tsai in the colony, though only about 4,000 are registered. It seems to us that a trained British woman inspector ought at once to share in the work of securing the complete aboli- tion of this mui-tsai system, both for the sake of the children and for the credit of this country. We cannot wholeheartedly rejoice in the anti-slavery centenary celebrations when there is this slavery of children in a British Crown Colony.
We would also draw attention to another point. So-called "adopted daughters" have never been registered to this day, and apparently by the law of Hong Kong it is legal to buy a girl for bona fide adoption, as the following extract from a letter sent out by the Colonial Office under date February 18th, 1932, will show:
Every person who takes any part, or attempts to take any part, in any transaction the object or one of the objects of which is to transfer or confer, wholly or partly, the possession, custody, or con- trol of any minor under the age of eighteen years for any valuable consideration shall be deemed to be guilty of an offence against this section, unless such person proves beyond reasonable doubt that the transaction was bona fide and solely for the purpose of a proposed marriage or adoption, in ac- cordance with Chinese custom.
JJ
Leading authorities are agreed that there is no such bona fide adoption of girls under existing con- ditions in Hong Kong. We urge, therefore, that the registration of adopted daughters shall be enforced forthwith, as these transactions are merely a subterfuge for obtaining mui-tsai as in the past. Obviously, too, the present registra- tion of mui-tsai is glaringly incomplete. We call the attention of the Colonial Office to the fact that the system of mui-tsai in Hong Kong has by no means been abolished, and we recommend that effective steps be taken to ensure the immediate registration of all mui-tsai and "adopted daugh- ters" in the colony, a much more thorough system of inspection of the houses where they are lodged, and the imposition of far heavier penalties on those who infringe the law.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1932
THE VOTE
GREEN, WHITE AND GOLD FAIR, 1932
An unusually fine attendance on the first day, and the news of Amy Johnson's triumph on the second, added to the spirit of success which pervaded this year's Fair.
In contrast to the November gloom outside, Cax- ton Hall was gay with banners full of significance to many present, and attractively decorated stalls. On Thursday afternoon the proceedings opened with the particularly apt song by Miss Marjorie Bagge,"
Lads and Lasses, Won't You Buy?
In presiding, our President, Mrs. Pethick-Law- rence, read a telegram from Mrs. Hilton Philipson, deeply regretting that the alteration of a matinee at Bristol prevented her from opening the Fair. Our President was, therefore, not only chairman, but opener. Suffragettes, she said, were well trained to rise to emergencies, and in the spirit of the verse,
I am the cook and the captain bold
And the mate of the Nancy Brig, And the seamen bright and the midshipmite
And the crew of the captain's gig.'
she would endeavour to combine both functions,
Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence explained how good it was to-day to belong to the Women's Freedom League. While everywhere else there was a lack of continuity, in our League, where the Green, White and Gold Fair, Mrs. Despard's birthday party, the Annual Conference, and so forth took place year after year, we had the solid earth be- neath our feet.
Every woman who had taken part in the fight for the vote had played a part in the emancipation of women in all parts of the world. The phenomenal progress made by Turkish women in the last ten years is part of this revolution.
The present position of the world is unstable. When the new world is evolved the work women are doing will tell; the full harvest of our sowing we shall never know.
Mrs. Pethick-Lawrence expressed warm thanks to all who had helped in the work of the Fair, and most of all to Miss Berry, our Honorary Fair Organiser.
Miss Underwood maintained that the members of the Women's Freedom League were not down- hearted when they contrasted the position of women at the time the League was founded and the posi- tion to-day.
The closing of the first Session of Parliament brought the next General Election one year nearer. We needed more branches and greater strength in our branches, so that when the opportunity came we could help to secure the return of more women members.
The Reform of the House of Lords was under consideration. The Women's Freedom League wanted women in that House on the same terms as
men.
We were urging that reference to the nationality of married women should be made in the King's Speech; we were delighted to learn that a British woman married to an American had chosen to go to prison rather than pay a fine for not registering as an alien,
The Women's Freedom League claim equal poli- tical, economic, and social status with men.
Mrs. Ward made an urgent appeal for more sub- scribers to THE VOTE-a paper packed with inter- esting news concerning women in all parts of the world.
A hearty vote of thanks to Mrs. Pethick-Law- rence was proposed by Dr. Knight, seconded by Mrs. Dore, and carried enthusiastically.
On Friday the chair was taken by Mrs. Sadd Brown. She felt it an honour, she said, to be pre- siding at a Fair organised by the Women's Free- dom League a League which pursued a line of con- tinuity and never forsook its ideals. The Women's Freedom League worked with a resolute persist-
381 22
ence, its activities were always going on, and al- though the world might know little about this work, it received the benefit. The League was able to carry on because of its unflagging courage and dogged determination.
The Hon. Mrs. Franklin said she had been study- ing Ruth Drapper's delightful sketch on how to open a fair, and would proceed accordingly.
Although not a member of the Women's Freedom League, she had a great respect for our First-Pre- sident, Mrs. Despard, and for THE VOTE, which, in her opinion, entirely fulfilled the requirements of a feminist paper. She congratulated the editor on the attention given to the new avenues opening up to
The
paper was small, handy, and concise,
women,
and gave just the information wanted,
At the moment there was a certain wave of pes- simism concerning the future. One reason women had always wanted to help in world affairs was to procure peace. Public opinion was now behind the Government in asking for peace.
If anything had been learnt during the last years it was that no nation was sufficient unto itself; it was ridiculous for one nation to fight another. Women wanted the vote for no other reason than to be in a position to fulfil their duties. Mrs. Franklin hoped that women would work in truth for the bet- terment of the world. Now, like Ruth Drapper's lady, she would declare the Fair open.
Miss Underwood said how proud we were of the achievement of Amy Johnson. She then briefly recapitulated the aims of the Women's Freedom League, and stressed the importance of the appoint- ment of women to administrative posts that they might fit themselves for office at the League of Nations.
Mrs. Ward made a spirited appeal for subscribers to THE VOTE. Miss Anna Munro proposed a vote of thanks to all speakers, and Mrs. Whetton, in seconding, said that until women had equal oppor- tunities with men they would not be able to give of their best to the community.
Round the Stalls
BRENTFORD AND CHISWICK STALL, in the charge of Mrs. Morris, Mrs. Watling, Mrs. Yeomans, Mrs, Fairley, Mrs. Haines, Mrs. Tubbs, Mrs. Jinks, and Mrs. Hurrell, is to be complimented on a fine display of delicious confectionery made by Mrs. Watling.
GOLDERS GREEN STALL, in the charge of Miss Aickman, Mrs, and Miss Muriel Pierotti, and Mrs. Stammers, had a good assortment of aluminium ware and brushes.
HAMPSTEAD STALL, in the charge of Miss Lyndon, Miss Trotter, and Miss James, had a varied collec- tion of dainty and useful handkerchiefs.
HIGHBURY STALL, supported by Bradford Branch, in the charge of Mrs. Bateman, Miss Beatrice and Miss Marie Bateman, made a good show with a variety of useful articles, each for the small sum of ts.
MINERVA CLUB BRANCH STALL, in the charge of Miss M. I. Neal, Mrs. Surrey Dane, and Mrs. Evans had a good show of hosiery and general goods.
MID-LONDON AND BARNSBURY STALL, in the charge of Mrs. Anderton and Mrs. Potter, gave a speciality of hand-made waste-paper baskets and bags made by Miss Horniman, and had a good assortment of stationery.
PORTSMOUTH STALL, in the charge of Mrs. Whet- ton, Mrs. Brading, and Mrs. Curtis, made a special feature of initialled towels, and had a good collec- tion of household linen,
SOUTH-EASTERN STALL, in the charge of Miss White and Miss Bentley, is to be specially congratu- lated on a display of Rye pottery, made and pre- sented by a Rye member. It also had a good show of dainty shopping-lists, handsome silk scarves, hand-made baskets, and Japanese goods.
SCOTTISH AND NORTHERN BRANCHES STALL, in the charge of Miss Anna Munro, Mrs. Graves, and Mrs.
Page 20Page 21