Auckland Women’s Patrio tic League.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 21 July 1916, Page 3

Auckland Women’s Patrio tic League.

An important conference was held between the President, (Mrs Guxison) and Secretary (MistAtf/edding) of the Auckland Women’s Patriotic League) and the Huntly Ladies Committee on Saturday afternoon last. There was a full attendance of members, those absent being away from an unavoidable cause. A few ladies, not members of the committee were present also. The object of the visit frixrn Mrs Gunson and Miss Spedding was to try to enlist the sympathies of the Huntly ladies, and if possible to form a branch of the League here. As a prelinxinax-y, the work which is now being done in Huntly was explained to the visiting ladies and the ground being thus cleared, Mrs Gunson plunged with commendable directness into the matter she had come to lay before the meeting.

Mrs Gunson has a very sympathetic voice and manner, and her earnestness in the good cause impressed itself on her audience at once.

She gave a most lucid description of the work wh'ch was being carried on by the different Patriotic Womens’ Leagues of New Zealand, the need for the work, and the reasons why the particular way in which the work was being carried on by them was the best for the soldiers. She pointed out that under the old hap-hazard system by which people sent gifts to soldiers whom they knew, the military authorities found it most difficult to deliver the goods, because of the scattering of the men when they got to the Front. It also happened that a man with few friends here, (and thex-e were many cf those from no fault of the soldier himself), got little or nothing in the way of gifts, while the man with many friends was overloaded. Of course the one shared with the other, but this was very different from each man receiving his own gift. Mrs Gunson urged upon the ladies that every soldier, whether lie had many friends or not, was doing an equal share to prcect us from the horrors of war, and that our gratitude should go out to each without favour. It was also a fact, that many of the parcels sent, contained articles that the men did not want and were often so badly packed that they arrived in a useless condition.

The League then, stood for treating all alike, for seeing that only the right articles were sent, and that they were packed in such a way as to arrive in the best possibie condition. The parcels were not sent to individual men but to the soldiers collectively, and when they they ariived at the Front, they were distributed to the men there, equally and evenly. Mrs Gunson gave also the results of the Conference which had been held at Wellington under the presidency of Lady Liverpool, telling how the work had been divided up between the four centres, pointing out that the provision of perishable articles had been allotted to Wellington, because the majority of the vessels sailed from there, and that this arrangement mimimised the risk of loss. Mrs Gunson closed with an earnest appeal to the ladies to join in with this oganised effort and so help along the noble cause they all had at heart. Miss Spedding followed with a clear description of the internal workings of the League. She first of all exhibited a fine map of the Auckland Province which had been made by an Auckland schoolmaster. On it were marked all' the places which were working in conjunction with tlxe Auckland League and also all (hose places whei'e the schools were doing their share. The map was a very convincing px-oof of the pioneer work which had been done in the province, and showed too,'at a glance, how the ladies of the various country towns had fallen in with the provincial scheme. The Auckland League has twelve committees, each committee specialising on some particular line of work. By this means, the efforts of the ladies are concentrated, each department is worked by experts and the greatest result is obtained by a minimum of effort. The Committees comprise the following

Soldiers’ Dependents ; Receiving, storing and despatching; Knitting Instruction ; Ministering ; Supplies abroad ; Camps at Home ; Entertaining and Organising ; Literature ; Soldiers’ Club ; State Schools; Hussif; and Secretarial, The workings of these committees was fully and clearly explained by' Miss Spedding, and she recommended that, should tlie ladies of Huntly decide on affiliating, that they should have only three or four committees, as by those means, the committees would be stronger and the best results could be obtained.

At the close of the addresses the ladies present expressed themselves as unanimously in favour of affiliating with the Auckland League and arranged for an early meeting, when the local branch will be put on a proper footing. It is hoped that many more ladies will join in the good work. The object of the meeting being thus attained, the balance of the visit was spent in a very useful chat on the work generally. The visitors could not stay very long, as they had an appointment with the ladies at Taupiri, to whi«h place they were motored by Mr Greenwell, arriving in nice time to start their meeting there.