WOMEN'S REST

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLI, Issue XLI, 11 August 1921, Page 7

WOMEN'S REST

OPENED" BY MAYOR

The new; women's igsfin High street was opened byhis Worship the Mayor (Mr E. Dixon, M.P.), who was accompanied by the Mayoress and Miss Dixon, this morning. A lai;ge number of ladies, chiefly members of the Women's National Reserve, were present. The Mayor said he had first to congratulate the W.N.A. on their enter>rise in arranging for the rest room. It was very necessary that something of this kind should be provided in Hawera. He had been looking forward to the day when the Hawera Borough Council would erect municipal buildings—a town hall, a library, and women's rest—in a central position. While congratulating them on their efforts with so excellent an object in view, he did not think that the present rest room was central enough. Further, he did not think that the ladies should be- obliged to go round with boxes in order to collect the money necessary to carry on. The least that the business people of the town and country people could do was to find the money required. He did not wish to interfere with the arrangements made at present, but he hoped that in future they would give him an opportunity of expressing an opinion and assisting before they undertook any similar venture. iHe believed that they called to see him about the' project at a time when he was away, and so he had no opportunity of expressing an opinion. Had he done so it would have been against the present scheme. The Borough Council, -"he pointed out, could not unfortunately come to their assistance with the rent, but if the W.N.R. were not able to obtain sufficient money he hoped they would come to him, so that he might lay the matter, before the business people and others. He was prepared to guarantee the rent personally till 'such time as thejr were able to provide funds by other means. He was quite sure that if the case was put before the business people there would be no difficulty in obtaining an annual guarantee of the rent. The ladies, in looking after the rest, would be accepting a sufficiently heavy responsibility, and should be relieved of the financial burden. He thought that the time had come when collecting in the streets, should cease. This method may have been very useful during the war, but he thought that if a thing was worth having it was worEh" paying for ,and the money Bhould be obtained without recourse -to street collections. In going before the public it was necessary to impress them with the importance of the object for which

money was needed, otherwise a small amount might be offered when £5 could have been obtained. He had had. so much to do with raising money from the public that he was becoming a past master at it now. He hoped the time was not far distant when they would have not one small room, but several rooms, as a women's rest. He had great pleasure in declaring the room open, and was sure that it would be greatly appreciated. After the opening ceremony morning tea was served, and visitors had an opportunity of inspecting the room, I which is quite cosy and comfortable.