TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 27 February 1931, Page 9

TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

TARANAKI W.C.T.U. CONVENTION.

NEW ZEALAND LEADERS PRESENT.

Delegates from Inglewood, New Plymouth, Waitara, Stratford, Eltharn NgAere, Hawera, Opunake and Okaiawa. were present at the annual Taranaki W.C.T.U, convention in Hawera yesterday, presided over by Mrs. Phillips (Stratford). Visiting delegates wen) welcomed by the president of the Hawera branch, Mrs. Exley. Mrs. N. Pergman, Johnsonville, and Miss McLay, Auckland, the organisers for New ' Zealand, were present. Letters of sympathy decided upon were: To Mrs. Hobbs, Inglewood, in the loss of her husband; to Mrs. Byers, secretary of the Opunake branch, in her illness; to the Miss Bicheno, Waitara, in the loss of their mother; to Mrs. and Miss Matheson, New Plymouth, in the loss of their son and brother.

Congratulations to the Taranaki women recently appointed Justices of the Peace were voiced by the president. District reports from the following unions were read: Waitara, Inglewood, Eltharn, Ngaere, Ha-wera, Okaiawa, Opunake, Inglewood Y’s and Stratford Y’s. . , Presenting her report on the Sailors’ Rest at New Plymouth, Miss Drew said 10,842 visits had been paid by sailors last year. A sum of £2OO had been invested, and the. year’s working showed a credit balance of £l5O. The election of officers resulted: President, Mrs. Phillips, Stratford; corresponding secretary, Miss Drew, M.A., J.P., New Plymouth; recording secretary, Mrs. Hayward, Hawera; vicepresident, Mrs. Exley, Hawera; treasurer, Mrs. Tarrant, Ngaere. _ These officers form the district executive.

Miss Simpson was re-appointed supprintendent.

When the item, “plans of work,” came before the convention the president said she thought there had been too much planning in the past and not enough prayer. If they were going to win, it would be on their knees. Miss Drew stressed the importance of work among school children. Mrs. Phillips stated that there was undoubtedly a move among the liquor interests to secure a “wet”. Parliament it there was an election this year. It was essential that the union should work against this and also strive to increase the prohibition vote least its decrease lead to the abolition of the . poll. The value of “The White Ribbon” and other educational and propaganda work was stressed by Mrs. Peryman. One of the most important aspects of the union’s work, she said, was education. Success had been attained in America through the young people, and now the liquor‘ party were seeking to control the schools. An enormous amount of nioney was also being spent in the United States in enlisting the aid of the Press. Prohibition was the main, plank in the union’s platform. They wanted to get rid of the liquor - traffic, which was a parasite on the life' of the community, and substitute a better and _ purer citizenship. No society could exist for a destructive policy alone, however. The union had a magnificent constructive programme; yet many of the members did not know of it. They were only aware of the one destruetve point. That explained one reason for their publications.