WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 241, 25 July 1935, Page 6

WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

ANNUAL CONFERENCE OPENED. (Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, July 24. A constant increase in the growth and strength of Women’s Institutes in New Zealand was revealed in a report presented at the annual conference of the Dominion Federation of New Zealand Women's Institutes. The number of institutes now affiliated, allowing for tlioso closed down owing to the withdrawal of unemployment settlements and other reasons, was 824. The report stated that the continued growth of the number of institutes had enabled large areas to he broken up into more compact federations, of which there were now 27. While one district was directly administered by the Dominion federation'. The executive committee’s financial statement showed a sound foundation of the Dominion Federation’s finance, there being 31,852 financial members, while affiliation fees had amounted to £398. The endwoment fund, which now totalled £l5O, was explained in detail hy Miss Jerome Spencer, founder of the movement in ,New Zealand.

The president (Mrs H.' Paterson, of Pahiatua), said it was the largest conference in the movement’s history. It was difficult to realise that in 1921 there- was not a single institute in New Zealand; now there were 824 institutes in 27 federations. Their members were members of a great university. She said there was a possibility of the introduction of a rural library scheme, in conduction with a national scheme. She asked members to he ready for the scheme, so that they might carry it right into the backblocks. She appealed for the enrolment of nip re young women to vitalise the movement.