WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 14

WOMEN’S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION.

The monthly meeting of the W.C.T.U. was held at the Y.W.C.A. Rooms, Moray place, on Tuesclav, Ist inst., the president (Mrs Blair) in the chair. Several delegates on their way home from the recent con: vention, were present. Mrs Allan Douglas, from New Plymouth gave an interesting account of the wort done in her district, specialising that: o: the room kept by their union. There beinj mo conveniences i - the city other than thos< provided by public-houses, the union, as sisted by the Borough Council, rents a room where women coming from the country cai find rest and refreshment. Mrs Douglas also told how the union provides distrid visitors for the gaol, whose duty was nol only to visit, but to meet the discharge/: women prisoners, to care for them, and U find situations when necessary. Mrs Cole, New Zealand president, wlw received a very warm' welcome, spoke o: the hospitality 'of the Inverca.rgill friends and of their untiring efforts for the com fort of delegates, and said the conventioi wa.i a great success. The public meeting* were never better attended. Shecommentec on the fact that some delegates walkec through the town on Saturday nights an< never saw any drunken or dissolute person and said that whatever "drunkenness then was in Invercargili was r.ot due to thi sly grog-selling, but to the licensed bar am brewers in the Awarua electorate. Mr Cole then ui-ged the union to get womei elected to the Charitable Aid and Schoo Boards. Several instances reported in In vercargill were repeated to show the nee< of women acting in this capacity. Womei knew the need of cleanliness, of yentila tion, and plenty of fresh air, of pure wate and sanitary arrangements being as pe* feet as possible. They knew, too, hpv dreadf jlI was the spread of consumptipn, an< would try to prevent this by giving th children all the space th© act required- A the close of Mrs Cole's address a commit lee was elcctad to wait upon kindred sock ties to see if they would co-operate ltith effort to get women elected on March 16. Members from N.E. "Valley and Sout Dunedin Unions were welcomed by the pre si dent.