W.C.T.U.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 266, 31 March 1911, Page 8

W.C.T.U.

1 ANNUAL CONVENTION. I 'YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS. s The session opened with devotional ■' exercises, conducted by Airs. Mowlem 1 (Palmerston North). After the roll call • the minutes and correspondence from t Miss Anna Gordon and Miss Agnei i Slack (secretaries for the World's f W.C.T.U.) were read. $ The following New Zealand officer! f were elected:—President. Mrs. Cole; 1 corresponding secertary, Mrs. Beryman; ■ recording secretary, Mrs. Mitchell; As--5 sistant corresponding secretary, Miss i Cannon; treasurer. Mrs. Bendeley; vice- ■ presidi nt at large and also representat tive to the New Zealand Alliance cxecu- » tive, Mrs. A. R. Atkinson; editor "White i llibbon," Mrs. Oldham: business man- • ager "White Ribbon." Miss Harrison. 1 Superintendents were appointed as folr lows:—Prison work, Mrs. Wright, Wei--8 lington; good citizenship, Mrs Logan, ■ Waipukurau; mothers' meetings, Mrs. 1 Jones, Ngaere; narcotics, Mrs. Liddyl, 1 81 Wilson street, Wanganui; anti--8 gambling, Mrs. Jemison, Tariki; unfer- • mented wine, Mrs. Gaskin, Greymouth; ■ hygiene, Mrs. W. S. Lovell-Smith, Christ- } church; Bible in schools, Miss N. Dewar, • Auckland; legal and parliamentary, Misb 3 Lovell-Smith, Christchurch; press, Mrs. I Blair, Dunedin; back blocks, Mrs. Israel, • Napier; medical temperance, Mrs. H. • Neale, Foxton; Sabbath observance, 3 Miss Gamlin, Manaia; flower missions, 5 Miss Nellie Cole, Christchurch; temperf ance Sunday, Mrs. Jansen, Petone; ! evangelistic, Mrs. Upton, Wanganui; ' Maori work, Mrs. Hughes, Mt. Eden, > Auckland; purity, Mrs. Webb, Ormond'f\ ville; literature, Mrs. Hislop, Dunedin; ". work among seamen, Mrs. Whitby, I Lyttelton; L.T.L. and Cradle Roll, Mrs. Spencer, Palmerston North; Y's and ) | medal contests, Mrs. Moody, Bluff; 3 ! scientific instruction, Miss Mander, Ha>i wera; rest rooms and refreshment B| booths, Mrs. C. S. Howard, Timaru; 1 home meetings, Sister Moody Bell, Sban--5 non; educational bureau, Miss Powell, 3 Palmerston North; notable days, Mrs. ', Duxfleld, Hawera; peace and arbitra--3| tion, Mrs. J. Griffin, Wellington; «av--1 ings banks, Mrs. Dearlove, Napier; "J treasurer, organising fund, Mrs. H. Tay--1 lor, Wanganui. 3 t Invitations were received from Grey•i mouth, Gisborne and Dunedin for the k convention to meet in their respective towns next year. Dunedin was decided upon by a large majority. [ RESOLUTIONS. The following resolutions were passed: I That this convention of the W.C.T.U. 4 desires to express its feeling of grief I for the disgrace attaching to our nation ■ in the attitude it had adopted toward ', the opium traffic in China, and in the j face of the mighty effort made by the ~ Chinese authorities in this matter. It hopes that British statesmen will not i delay in making an effort to rid our *: country of this disgrace. I TJiat the W.C.T.U. convention heartily ' approves of, and thanks the Government I for their action in having placed in all 'I our schools temperance wall sheets, and ■| having the teaching of the same made \ a compulsory subject. ' That the attention of this convention : being called to the demoralising effect L of small children being used for boxing • and wrestling exhibitions at sidc-shbws of various agricultural shows, it would 1 respectfully urge the Government to prevent such displays by making a law 1 prohibiting all children under 14 years | of age being used for such a purpose. That in view of the frequent statements that "the drink bill of New Zealand is increasing in spite of the fact that twelve electorates arc under nolicense," this convention calls attention to the statement made by Mr. T. E. 1 Taylor in the House of Representatives ■ on October Bth ,11)10, to the effect that while the consumption of alcohol for I the whole of New Zealand is twelve 1 gallons per head, that of the no-license districts is only two gallons per head. j That a banner be presented to the ] union gaining most members during the year. | IN CONCLUSION. j The thanks of the convention were voted to the Press, our hostesses, the I entertaining union; and the trustees of the Primitive Methodist Church for the use of their church. The convention closed with the singing of "God lie with von till we meet again," and the Benediction, pronounced by the president.

Miss McXeash (New Zealand—Pakelia Maori), Mrs. Don (Amcric*.), Mrs. Blair (England)', Mrs. A. Wright 'Japan), Mrs. Johnson Wright (Norway), Mrs, Houlder (Canada), Mrs. Duxfielil (India). Mrs. Rule (Germany), Mrs. Mitchell (Australia), Mrs. Hughes (China). Each of these ladies spoke with deep feeling of the work of the late Francis Willard; although dead, "her words still livcth." In Ireland she nnd her colleagues were the instigators of closing 1818 public houses. They also formed a home for children, whereby the women could go forth and earn their livelihood unencumbered. They had proved themselves scientific, in the front rank, and had gone forth and exposed the evils of drink and opium. By their great work liquor had been banished from the army, and they (the present union) had great hopes of checking it elsewhere, and in this the '". Rojal Family had taken an active part. The influence of Miss Willard and het colleagues' great work was felt all over the world at the present time. Mr. Goodacre referred briefly to the work being done by the W.C.T.U. He was very pleased with the progrest they had made, and hoped that they would in the end succeed in the work they had undertaken. Mrs. Don referred at some length to • the life of the late Francis Willard, who ~ had been born of good parents, and at her mother's desire had been weu edu« cated. Although brought up well, the was for some years a sceptic, and had been sceptical from the beginning of her, girlhood life until one day she, by good" fortune, gave herself up to her Maker nnd consecrated her life to His service, From that time until her death she* had ; worked hard for Him. On one occasion she visited a woman prisoner in gaol, and by her good words induced the wo-' man to tafce the right path through life. Several other anecdotes of her life were referred to by Mrs. Don. At the special wish of the late Francis Milton, her. body was cremated, and, before it was lowered into the crematorium, a band of ; ' white ribbon was entwined round the coffin in memory of the great work she had done. At the graveside her sister sang her favorite hymn, "Nearer, mv God, to Thee." (Thus hymn was well rendered at this stage by some members of the convention.) Before the close of the proceedings, Mrs. Douglas, president of the New Plymouth branch of the W.C.T.U., called those young ladies who some Ave months ... ago had signed the pledge to join the "Y" work, a system of training young women to help others, to visit the tick, to make garments for the poor, etc. The members of the "Y" work elected their officers as follow:—President, Miss Winnie Sole; secretary, Miss Mary BJanchett; treasurer, Miss Harre. Mesdames Douglas and Cole, on behalf of the branches, thanked all those who had in any way contributed to the success of the evening's function, also Mrs. Don for her splendid address on the life of Francis Willard. The accompaniments were played by Mrs. Dowling. A collection of pot plants was kindly lent by Mr. J. Buttimore, of Devon street. The sinking of the well-known hymn, "All Round the World," and the National Anthem, terminated the meeting, which was not the least enthusiastic of the many functions connected with a convention that has been most successful in every way.