WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 303, 5 October 1935, Page 3

WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

MID-CANITERBURY FEDERATION.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING. The first half-yearly, meeting of the Mid-Canterbury Federation of Women’s Institutes was held in St. Stephen’s Hall, Ashburton, yesterday, Mrs F. Curtis (president) presiding. Associated with the president were Mesdames L. E. Williams (president of the South Canterbury Federation), W. Deans (chairman of the Finance Committee of the Dominion Executive), F. Peter, E. Davis, R. Austin, R. Pearce, J. F. Stone, A. P. Bruce, E. A. Cockloft and M. Constable (secretary). The Institute song having been sung, a roll call was taken, 23 delegates answering. The president extended a welcome to the delegates and made special reference to the pleasure the Federation felt at the attendance of Mrs Williams and Mrs Deans. A number of remits were discussed. Among them was one from the Rakaia Institute, to the effect that the casts in plays entered in the drama festival should he composed solely of members of Institutes. This was adopted, as was one that the next half-yearly meeting should he held at Mount Somers. It was announced that the sum of £7l 18s 7d had been returned as a result of the drama festival held recently. Mrs Deans addressed the meeting on questions of finance within the movement, stressing the point that it would be better to have* one big money-rais-ing function than to conduct a number of small efforts. Mrs Williams spoke on general Institute subjects, the main portion of her talk being on how best to live up to the motto, “For home and country. Mrs A. P. Bruce (Pendarves) gave a demonstration on a dressmaker’s model, and votes of thanks were accorded her and the two chief speakers.

The meeting, which was a very successful one, was closed with the singing of the National Anthem.