Y.M.C.A. WORK

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 2, 2 July 1919, Page 4

Y.M.C.A. WORK

CONFERENCE AT VERSAILLES

NEW ZEALAND COMMISSIONER RETURNS.

From a, year's, active association with Y.M.O-A, war work in France aijd Ejigr land,'Mr, W, Jl, George, lion, commissioner for the Jv'ew ' Zealand Y.ftJ.CA-, and ft. member of tha national <:ouncil, returned to Wellington by the l'alocmft on M'onday afternoon. Regarding the achievements of the association among the men,- Mr. George, in conversation with a Post reporter, said that although it wag a matter for the men themselves to decide, oyer an4 Rver again he had been told by those in a position to judge that for efficiency, enterprise, and effective service the New Zealand Y,M.C,A. was easily ahead of any other similar organisation. "This was," he said, "due to the fact that our work was concentrated on our men." In company with, Mr. Hughes, wjio returned recently, he made a- tour of the whole,of the British, Canadian, and New Zealand fronts, and was. present at ,the opening of the advance on Valenciennes. Subsequently they visited the American front near Verdun, and were there under she^ll fire. Regarding any criticism that may haye been levelled against the American1' Y.M.C.A,, there was no doubt as to the effect of the services rendered before the armistice. A month before returning to New Zealand, Mr. George went over the whole or the ground over which the N«w Zealand troops had fought from the time they landed in France, and he was able to secure photographs which were not possible to obtain under war conditions. After completing this inspection ho attended a. very unique Y.M.C.A. convention, presided over by Dr. Mott, secretary of the American International Committee, and one of the most widelytrav&lled men in the world. TJhe convention, was originally convened to bo held in an hotel in Versailles, but this was commandeered for tho use of the German delegates. ' There were present at the conference delegates of the Y.M.C.A. ani Y.W.C.A. war workers from ev^ry quarter of the globe, with the exception of. Germany and Austria.. It was held for the purpose of considering the after-Avar programme of the various organisations represented, and extended over four days. "It was very inspiring," said Mr. George, "to listen to the bold and darinjr, plans of Borne' of the leaders to overtake, in eome adequate, effective way the tremendous opportunities, for after-war service "that were being presentsd in the now conditions evolved during the war." This conference was only a preliminary to a larger gathering to be called next year, probably iii New. York. At this meeting consideration would be. given to the establishment of an Anglo-Saxon Union of Y.M.C.A.'s. which would, of course, include not only the British Empire, but also America and Canada, '■vhose missionary operations have, up to the present, been on a very much larger Kca-lo than anything yet attempted by the Y.M.C.A."s of the British Empire. The object of the union is to avoid any overlapping of effort to co-operate actively on the extension of the Y.M.C.A. work throughout the countries of India, Ohica^ and Japan, and also on the continent of F'vr-c-ss, whose leaders have had ocular .demonstration of the beneficent work and who have been sending in innumerable requests for the permanent establishment of something akin to a" Y.M.C.A. hut in the villages and towns throughout the countries. The great nroblem faced by the conferencp. was the necessity of training, colleges for secretaries for the work, and this will also be fully considered next year. Mr. fieorgo passed thiouprh the United States before connecting with the Paloona, at San Francisco.