CANTERBURY WOMEN'S INSTITUTE.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 9984, 14 March 1898, Page 3

CANTERBURY WOMEN'S INSTITUTE.

The fortnightly meeting of the Canterbury Women's Institute was held on Friday evening 7in Hobbs's buildings. The chair was occupied by the president, Mrs Wells. A discussion took place on technical education. Mrs Blake, Miss Hookham and Mrs Henderson contributed short papers, and other members discussed the subject freely. Mrs Blake, in her paper, took up chiefly the subject of agriculture for women, aud expressed the hope that in any scheme for technical instruction, special prominence would be given to the subject. Miss Hookham spoke of the responsibility of the State towards the child. She also dealt with the increase and elaboration of machinery and boy and girl labour, as* being partly responsible for the unemployed difficulty. Mrs Henderson deprecated the idea of manual instruction being given in primary schools during school hours.

The Technical Education Bill of 1897 was reported on and discussed, and a resolution was passed by the institute expressing the opinion that the Technical Education Bill has in it clauses subversive to the principles upon which is based our present national system of education, and deprecating any change which would tend to disintegration or denominationalism. The resolution went on to say that already insufficient attention is given in the schools 'to the three R's ; that many parents would i gladly allow their children to avail themselves of the opportunities for free classes provided in the Bill, and that insufficient prominence is given in the Bill to instruction in agricultural processes,;. ..„■ The fol-. lowing resolution was also passed—'' The Canterbury Women's Institute congratulates those members who moved and supported amendments which uphold the integrity of j our present system of education." I A letter was read from Mrs Cunnington asking for the support of the Institute to< the Samaritan Home. Several members, spoke sympathetically of the work done in tfie home, and of the necessity for an institution of the kind under present penal conditions, and a resolution to the following effect was passed:—That under our present penal system such an institution as ] the Samaritan Home is a necessity.

As the subject of preferential voting ia to be discussed at the meetings of the National Council, it was resolved that Mr Saunders should be asked to give an address on the subject at the meeting of the Institute on April Ist; members of other societies to be invited to attend.

The subject for discussion at next meeting will be, ''Education and its practical results."