WOMEN'S INSTITUTES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 85, 11 April 1931, Page 15

WOMEN'S INSTITUTES.

The bi-annual meeting of the Auckland Federation of Women's Institutes was held in the Farmers' Union Trading Company's hall yesterday. The president, Mrs. S. V. Irwin, presided over \a large attendance of delegates. In her introductory remarks, Mrs. Irwin welcomed Miss Mowbray, president of the Victoria League, Mrg. L. S. Rickerby, Mrs. J. B. Macfarlane and Miss Fenton, who were' guests at the meeting. Last year, said Mrs. Irwin, there were 65 institutes in - the Federation, and now the number was 78. "JJiis showed good progress. Thanks were expressed to the Victoria League for their kindness in lending their rooms for the social held last evening. .The reports of the various sub-committees followed, and Miss N. Lewis stated that a new Federation had been formed in the Bay of Plenty. On the question of remits, Mrs. Reish spoke of open markets; Mrs. Cliadwick detailed the work of the dramatic section, and Mrs. • Lewis reported on the hospitality committee. The setting up of a gazette for women's institutes was explained by Miss E. M. .Potter, In reporting ■on a library scheme, Mrs. Irwin said that there was a great demand for modern books by country people, and she spoke of a Government circulating library scheme, -whereby affiliated bodies would have boxes of books sent to them. She asked that this scheme be referred t>y the delegates to members of their institutes. Mrs. Allen, who judged the institute reports competing for the banner presented by Mrs. Dudley Dorman, said that on the whole the reports were good. Satisfactory I progress had' been shown, and the average attendance was excellent. The banner for this year was presented to the Glen Eden Institute, whose record, said Mrs. Allen, was a very good one, and special mention was made of the Manawahi. and Woodhill Institutes, which were rUnners-up in the competition. Discussion then followed on a number of alterations to the constitution proposed at a consultative committee meeting held in Wellington on November 6, .1930, when the five Provincial Federations were represented. After the adjournment for luncheon handicraft classes were held. A short lecture on her trip with "the Dairy Farmers' Association, which took place last year, was given by Miss C. M., Potter, who spoke of the agricultural institutes visited. There were 100 travellers in the party, and several large farms in the United Kingdom and the Continent were visited and their methods inspected. Miss Potter spoke of the large numbers of girl students, better known as land girls, who were taking" up farming in countries abroad. A talk oil the formation of a ,New Zealand Community Drama Festival was spoken of by Mrs. Irwin, who had been approached by Miss E. Blake, of Wellington, to interest women's institutes in the venture. The festival was an organised effort to get all amateur dramatic societies to give performances of plays, either in. their own towns or at a given centre, >vhich plays were to be judged 'by a competent judge, who would give a constructive criticism, and award marks on an approved scheme. The idea was not a money-making scheme, ! but orie to promote happiness and pleasure and mutual good feeling and understanding between the town and country. From the artistic aifd aesthetic standpoint it was also valuable. These festivals, said Mrs. Irwin, had come to occupy a very important place in' the life of the country, both in England arid Scotland, and also in the United States.