ROTARY MEETING

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 64, 27 February 1935, Page 7

ROTARY MEETING

SERVICE BEFORE SELF Record of Steady Progress BROTHERHOOD IN BUSINESS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) TIMARU. Feb. 27. At the opening of the Rotary Conference this morning the District Governor, Mr J. M. A. Hott, extended, a cordial welcome to dele- i gates from all parts of the Dominion. He said that during the year the membership of the 22 clubs had increased from 1131 to 1193. “Rotary has not discovered new formulae or new principles or ideals for governing men and their relations—its dominant ideals and principles have animated men of goodwill since the be ginning of time —but it has given them a new setting,” said Mr Hott. Many Rotarians thought that the famous formula setting out the objects of Rotary should be restated, and during the conference the matter would be considered. The conference would also consider the needs of crippled children, The District Governor proceeded to : give an aceouut of his stewardship,; stating that bis long illness had pre- I vented him from carrying out many ' plans and resolutions. He bail found j it possible to visit only a limited num ■ ber of clubs, but he hoped to visit most j ft' the others before the new District ] Governor returned from the interna I tional conference. He looked back j with pleasure on the great experience I he had had in meeting Rotary exemi tives at the international assembly at Vancouver. He was delighted to find i that New Zealand stood so high in the I world and in the esteem of officers. The i visit had brought him many new friends and extended his view of Rf j tary’s possibilities internationally. The . speaker paid a tribute to the assistance , given by District Governor Cecil Buch- I anan, of South Africa, the officers of : the Rotary International and District ■ Rotarians during his illness. Mr Hott also referred to the loss : suffered by Rotary in New Zealand by | the deaths of Sir George Fowlds, first j Honorary Commissioner, and District Governor T. C List, whose memories would long remain Referring to the progress of the Ro- | tary International, Mr Hott said that; in July, 1924, it had 153,173 members; . to-day the membership was 155,000. i There were 3726 clubs, of which 2577 ■ were in North America. The speaker then gave a resume of operations dur- i ing the past year. “It is but 15 years . on June 7 since Mr Layton Ralston launched the first Rotary Club in New Zealand, and a day later the late Mr Jim Davidson inaugurated the Auck- . land club. From its foundation Rotary has grown and appreciated the efforts of its membership ami their willingness j to help in service. Let this be our aim aud our determination in the years to come. We can only get out of Rotary what we put into it. Rotary’s job is not to reform the world, not to solve the social problems, but to create friendship and the spirit of goodwii l , and to help all those organisations that have that end in view.”