Y.M.C.A. DEVELOPMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20522, 25 September 1928, Page 13

Y.M.C.A. DEVELOPMENT.

AMERICAN SECRETARY’S VISIT. MONTH'S TOUR OF DOMINION. (Special to Daily Times.) AUCKLAND, SeptembeT 24. Mr J. W. Cook, general secretary of the Y.M.C.A. in the United States, arrived from Sydney by the Aorangi yesterday. He will spend a month in the Dominion, visiting the associations in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Mr Cook was greatly impressed with what he saw of the Y.M.C.A. movement in Australia, where he spent six months visiting the various centres. “ The general movement is very efficient and on a high level in the Commonwealth,” he said. “ The spirit of progress is shown by the new branches which are being established in Sydney, Melbourne, and other cities. There is a strong group of secretaries, and the boards of directors are strengthened by the addition of the most able men in the community.” The policy on which the movement was working in America, Mr Cook added, was not to break up the group plan among boys and young men, but rather to keep them together. The outstanding tendency was the development of a “ purpose membership,” the idea being that new members should declare some pur pose which should actuate, their motives and mould their service. The basis of membetship thus became service rather than the payment of fees. With development was the tendency to make the movement more democratic by giving members a greater share in its management.