7000 WOMEN MEET.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 144, 20 June 1934, Page 12

7000 WOMEN MEET.

INSTITUTE'S SUCCESS IN LONDON. Women from 5000 villager; in England and Wales met at the Albert Hall recently. They came for tho annual general meeting of the Women's Institute movement, the largest body of organised country women in the world. There aro over 300,000 members. Yet it was only 19 years ago that a beginning was made with a handful of the fust institute members in England in the little Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll. The movement had been brought from Canada by Mrs. Alfred Watt, and was introduced to England in 1915 to increase food production and to lighten the dark days in village life during the war, when so many of the men were away. To help agriculture and to improve and enliven country life have remained the movement's ideals, and it has become one of the strongest social influences in country life. Non-sectarian and non-political, it draws no dividing lines in its membership, and exists with no suspicion of patronage from local "Lady Bountifuls." This has been tho secret of its success, for it has taught the most modest and retiring to come out of their shells and take an active part in running their institute, instead of waiting for someone else to do something to ainitse them. A Job Member. It is the aim of the institutes to put each of its members on a committee of some kind, so that each may learn to play a part and develop a sense of responsibility. This has led to a wider understanding of the meaning of citizenship, as applied to a quite humble person. At this country women's Parliament, held the other day, they discussed not only the internal affairs of their movement, but Eucli national matters as rural water supplies, purer milk, peace and disarmament, and how they can help in organising occupational centres for the unemployed. The Parliament lasted for a day, but 7000 delegates and visitors from the remotest farmsteads of England and Wales attended and discussed 15 resolutions. The chair was taken by Lady Denman, who has presided over this movement since its beginning, and a Cabinet Minister spoke.