Salient sent a representative to the press conference held in Wellington by Mrs. Roosevelt on her goodwill tour of this country. Mrs. Roosevelt holds a position in the American Red Cross and was wearing her uniform.

One of the first problems discussed was the question of post-war planning on the international scale. Mrs. Roosevelt said she hoped that Americans had grown to realise the fallacy of isolation and expressed her view that some form of international co-operation, probably based on the present unity of the Allies, would be necessary.

Mrs. Roosevelt had some very interesting things to say on the subject of women in the war. She stated that equal pay for equal work had long been a slogan in the U.S.A. and that in the war industries this was an accomplished fact. Investigation carried out by women's organisations in the U.S.A. have resulted in statistics showing that women need the equal pay as they usually go to work to support not themselves alone but also dependents.

Youth

Mrs. Roosevelt was also able to inform us about the growing problem in the U.S.A. of parents overseas or absorbed into industry. Youth workers were mostly called up for essential work and the States found themselves faced with growing juvenile delinquency and crime. This has been met, at least to some extent, by youth clubs, which the Government is keen to develop. Children of school age and young workers are given recreational facilities and also facilities for hiking and camps, which is desirable from many angles. Our problem in New Zealand, although on a parallel scale, might learn a good deal from the active lead the U.S. Government is giving to this work.