CO-OPERATIVE WOMEN

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 55, 2 September 1937, Page 5

CO-OPERATIVE WOMEN

DOMINION CONFERENCE

The second Dominion conference of the New Zealand Co-operative Wo^ men's Guild was held last week in Wellington. Mrs. Niederer, Palmerston North, presided over a gathering of delegates who had come from as far north as New Plymouth and Dannevirke and as far south as Westland. Cordial greetings were received from guilds in more distant centres. The conference was opened by Mrs. Peter Fraser, who told of her. visit to the conference at Bristol, when 2000 delegates discussed .wide questions of economics and citizenship as these entered into the lives of women. The English Guilds had been established over 40 years, and they had long ago settled the narrower questions of internal organisation which at present occupied much of the attention of this, the youngest branch of a world-wide movement. Mrs. Fraser was presented with a copy of a recent publication of the International Co-operative Women's Guild, "Housewives Build a New World," which gave the story of the growth of the international movement.

Addresses were given by Mr. Ben Roberts, M.P. (president of the New Zealand Co-operative Alliance), Mr. M. M. Munro, M.A. (chairman of the newly-formed Co-operative Wholesale society), Mr. L. J. Macdonald (secretary of the Institute of Standards), and Mr. D. J. yon Stunner (secretary ,of the alliance). Mrs. McLeod, a member of the Dominion • Council, showed how the guilds were a training-ground for democracy, an idea which was the keynote of the co-operative system. The annual report and balance-sheet were read by Miss E. Huntington, M.A., Dominion secretary, and showed encouraging progress. Local reports were read by Mrs. Wright (Runanga, president of the oldest New Zealand Guild), Mrs. L. Schmidt (Dannevirke), Mrs. Scott (Palmerston North), Mrs. M. Munro (WopdviUe), Mrs. Gould (Wanganui), Mrs. Hall (Carterton), and Mrs. Baker (Lower Hutt). Mrs. Read (Miramar) and Mrs. Monton (New Plymouth) spoke briefly of the societies and guilds being formed in their localities. As a member of the Dominion Council, Mrs. Gould read an interesting report of the efforts made in connection with the two-year plan for increasing membership and knowledge of the cooperative movement and for introducing to members some of the goods that had been produced and narketed in accordance with co-operative principles. There had been keen competition for the blue riband awarded to the guild securing the largest number of new members. This was won by Wanganui, with Palmerston North | a close second. . From the commencement of the cooperative movement in Rochdale, nearly 100 years ago, and long before women were thought capable of taking an intelligent interest in public affairs, women co-operators had been encouraged to take an active part in the deliberations and enterprises of the societies. At this conference of the guilds the delegates showed that they could handle a long list of remits with wisdom and tolerance. There were lively discussions and much constructive criticism, but all in the true spirit of co-operation. On Wednesday evening the delegates were the guests of the Lower Hutt Guild at an enjoyable social, and each afternoon the women of the Miramar Society served a much-ap-preciated afternoon tea. A very successful conference ended with the inspection of a display of English cooperative productions and a visit to the new railway station.