COUNTRY WOMEN

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 24, 28 July 1927, Page 15

COUNTRY WOMEN

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FAST-GROWING MOVEMENT

The second annual conference of the women's Division of the New Zealand Farmers' Union opened yesterday morning. The president, Mrs. Poison, was An the chair, and there was an attendance of about fifty delegates and visitors. Mrs. J. G. Coates, wife of the Prime Minister, and herself a country woman, opened the meeting, and Mrs. O. J. Hawken, wife of the Minister of Agriculture, was also present. Mrs. Coates congrautlated the division on the good work accomplished during the year. On the success of the country depended the prosperity of the Dominion, and a very large part was played by the farmer's wife. Anything that coi a be done to lessen her hard lot deserved the support of the whole community. The division had made a start with a bush nurse, a housekeeper, and in other ways, but its best work, perhaps, was in bringing the men and women of the town and country together and developing good fellowship and co-operation between them. She hoped the conference would bo successful, and that even better work could be accomplished this year. Mrs. Poison, in her presidential address, said that the division started only two years ago, when 17 women met and decided to try to form such a division. The membership was now I^bO, and each branch was a band of eager workers. The bush nurse, the visiting housekeeper, and the book club had beon begun.. It was hoped that the Government would grant free railage on the books, and a railway pass tor the nurse and housekeeper. So far these had not been granted. The question of dental clinics was occupying attention, and it was desired that these should be available for country children. Dr. Valintine had promised to look into this matter: The division had shown the members of the Farmers' Union that their women were standing by them, and in their big rallies they had caled on the Women's Division to help. Another point for future consideration was bringing town and country children together. They must try and got the Boy Scouts md Girl Guides movements into the country. Then a women's exchange would "bo a great help to country women, so that they could put their work on the market, bhe hoped all present would go back to their homes as missionaries to inspire others to carry on the work" for better conditions for women and children on the land.

Mrs. Pow (secretary) read the annual report, which showed a great many branches had been organised during the year, from Invercargill to Auckland. Last year there were 824 members, now there were 1250. Although the formation of branches seemed slow. ood work was being done. Wanganui was the largest branch, with 217 members. Branches were to be congratulated on the money raised, but still more branches were needed, and it was necessary to retain membership and to obtain more members.

Mrs. Jackson read the balance-sheet and explained that money raised for the community chest was for the support of the bush nurse and housekeeper. Tho ±und now totalled £600 Among many remits passed was one lioni Masterton drawing the attention of the Minister of Education to the folfacts:-" (a) Country children, owing to distance from school' b-ul roads, etc., begin attending school one two, or even thrco years later . than town children; (b) their attendance at school, owing to distance, weather conditions,, floods, etc., is more irregular than that or town children; (c) they irequently milk cows before and after school; (d) at expiration of their year in Standard VI. they are therefore almost invariably over tweleve years of r?L>iJ *? refOr° ,t he ne^ regulations i educing tho ago limits for junior and senior national scholarships by one year "ill fall most hardly on such children and mil have tho effect of depriving them of the chance of sitting for the scholarships." ■w-^w 4*^ r°mit from Cambridge:— lhat tins branch expresses the opinion that greater attention should bo given to the charactor building side of educa-

tion by the inclusion in the school curriculum of more definite teaching of such matters as honesty and thrift," wasalso approved. Palmerston North remits were carried, urging the Government to exercise a more careful scrutiny of migrants, particularly from the point of view of public health, and also asking the Government to inquire much more carefully into the bona fides of nominators of immigrants, thus eliminating "the indiscriminate and comparatively unchecked nominations of unsuitable persons."