Y.M.C.A.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 105, 3 April 1929, Page 2

Y.M.C.A.

CONVENTION AT WELLINGTON.

WELLINGTON, April 3The ninth annual New Zealand Y.M.C.A. Convention opened yesterday in the Willis Stret building, thirtynine delegates from all, parts of th Dominion being present. Alter a devotional period, led by the Rev. K. d• Howie, 8.A., delegates were welcomed by Mr W. J. Mason, president of the Wellington Association, who was supported by Mr C. M. Luke. _ The president of the National Council, Mr H. K. Wilkinson, likened the work to business stocktaking, and commented on the improvement in membership and the greatly improved boys Mr Charles. Edmond , moved the •adoption of the Army and Navy report and pointed out that the association had carried on social and recreational work in 90 camps, comprising 24,000 trainees in over 20 different centres. The work had been conducted at a debit of £207, the smallness of the loss being' due to the financial support of the various religious denominations. ' , j Mr S. G. Cress well, military and industrial secretary, referred to the splendid co-operation of defence omcers. Mr F. Chappell, military secretary at Trentham Camp, stressed the need for similar hiitments for Y.M.C.'A. purposes in *he Northern and Southern Command, ,as had been provided at Trentham. The n^ va i work was also referred to, and the tact that the men from the cruisers and sloops fully used the buildings while in camp and never failed to subscribe to the work and also that chaplains, both Catholic and Protestant, all used the Y.M.C.A. quarters freely. The report was adopted, it being decided to make an effort to secure sufficient funds to end the year without a debit balance. . The question of money contributed during the Armistice in Germany to be used for a memorial to the work or the Y.M.C.A. was ‘raised. It was reported that the fund had reached £I6CO. It was decided to set, up a committee to confer with the trustees regarding the use of this memorial fund. . . The foreign work by the association in Fiji was outlined by Mr H. D. Grocott, and Mr C. Edmond then presented tho financial statement, which showed that there was a definite improvement in the position, although there was still a deficit. This was mainly due to the National. Council s assistance of smaller associations. Mr L. J. Greenberg, general secretary of the Wellington Y.M.C.A. speaking of the Round Table InterBible Class conference at Waikanae, stressed the value of these gatherings, mentioning the great conferences at Helsingfors and Jerusalem. That at Waikanae would have far-reaching results on the youth of the Dominion. The problem of the small centre was the subject of an address by Mr A. F. Kaufmann, of Palmerston North, who said that there was a need for adequate equipment, and pressing necessity for endowments to help certain centres carry on. He made a plea for re-empliasis of the “C” as thff fundamental basis of tho Y.M.C.A. work.