WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

Southland Times, Issue 21576, 14 December 1931, Page 4

WOMEN’S INSTITUTE

THE CONFERENCE AT GORE. The following report is supplied:— The half-yearly council meeting of the Otago and Southland Provincial Federation of Women’s Institutes took place at Gore on Tuesday. It commenced with a meeting of the executive in the morning, which was presided over by Mrs J. Caldwell (Greenfield), who extended a very hearty welcome to Miss Jerome Spencer, of Hawkes Bay, president of the Central Executive Committee. Other executive members present were Mesdames F. Gutsehlag (vicepresident), J. Kirkland (Taieri). Ayson (Warepa), Mackenzie (Waikaka), Copland (Kaiwera), Nixon (Pukerau), Craigie (Gore) and H. Cooksley (Clinton), hon. secretary, and Mrs A. I. Miller (Clydevale), actingtreasurer. A very satisfactory financial statement and report were read and adopted. Four new voluntary organizers for the district, who had passed the necessary examination, were then announced by Miss Spencer. These were Mrs Keo (Clydevale), Mrs Nixon (Pukerau), Mrs Ramsay (Ohai) and Mrs Cooksley (Clinton). After the usual business had been dealt with an adjournment was made to the Gaiety Hail for lunch, where there was on view a splendid exhibition of handicrafts from all the institutes in the federation, which now number 43.

At 1 p.m. the council meeting took place in the R.S.A. rooms, when the president extended a hearty welcome to all the delegates and visiting members. The institutes represented by delegates were Brighton, Conical Hills, Clinton, Clydevale, Gore, Heriot, Janefield, Kaiwera, Lawrence, Mandeville, Mosgiel, Ohai, Otama, Papatowai, Pukerau, Popotunoa, Palmerston S., Roxburgh, Riversdale, Taicri, Tuapeka, Greenfield, Warepa, Waimumu, Waiwera South, Waikaka, Waipahi and Waitahuna.

Considerable discussion took place over the various resolutions put forward, these being ably explained by Miss Spencer, after which each delegate gave a three-minute speech on the work of her institute. These were listened to with great interest.

It was decided that a Southland Federation be formed early in March. During the afternoon a tplendid demonstration of a wool rug made in an hour was given by Mrs Irvine (Janefield Institute) and much appreciated. A special vote of thanks was passed to Mrs Craigie and the Gore institute for the excellent arrangements made for the meeting.

Votes of thanks were then passed to Miss Spencer, who answered numerous questions. Mrs Irvine, the Returned Soldiers’ Association, and all who had helped in any way in making the meeting a success.