WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

Taranaki Daily News, 28 April 1934, Page 7 (Supplement)

WOMEN’S INSTITUTES

TARANAKI FEDERATION MEMBERSHIP OF OVER 1300. FOUR HUNDRED ATTEND MEETING. There were nearly 400 delegates from 29 institutes present at the annual meeting of the Taranaki Federation of Women’s Institutes at the Inglewood town hall yesterday. Mrs. I. Kaye, Taranaki president, was in the chair. Also present was Mrs. H. Paterson (Pahiatua), Dominion president of the Women’s Institute organisation.

The . delegates were welcomed by the Mayor of Inglewood (Mr. J. Gibbs) and the president of the Inglewood Women’s Institute, Mrs. W. J. Adnams. A tremendous amount of work had been accomplished by unity of purpose and steadfast effort, stated the annual report. The present was a time when individuals and institutions were judged

not by what name they had so much as by what they did. Love and service at the present day was more than a mere motto. Institutes had changed life’s outlook for thousands of the women of the Dominion. The executive committee had met six times during the year, continued the report, three times at Normanby and three times at Inglewood. Thirty-four institutes now comprised the Taranaki District Federation, new institutes being formed at Rawhitiroa, Warea, Taiporohenui Maori, Ketemarae Maori and Riverlea during the past six months, making an approximate membership of 1303. EXHIBITIONS OF CRAFTS. The handwork sub-committees did excellent work in arranging the exhibition of handicrafts at the Hawera show. The courts were an outstanding success and had caused widespread interest. During the show the exhibit was honoured by a visit from Mesdames Coates, McCorkindale and Miller, Mrs. Kelso and Miss Kane representing the Dominion executive. The district federation had been represented at the Dominion conference at Christchurch by the president, Mrs. Kaye. In July the South Taranaki institutes shared with other organisations a visit from Miss Violet McMillan, the holder of the Sarah Ann Rhodes Scholarship. During October am organising tour was arranged for Mrs. Kelso, editor of “Home and Country” and Dominion organiser, visits being made to group meetings at Eltham, Hawera, Waitara and Inglewood. At the half-yearly council meeting at Pa tea there had been an attendance of over 250. Other group meetings had been held at Inglewood, Eltham and Hawera and group picnics at Waitara and Patea. The drama festival held at Hawera had been a success and credit was due to the South Taranaki institutes which were responsible for arrangements. Whareroa, Mangatoki, Patea, Normanby, Okaiawa (2), Eltham, Turi Township, Tawhiti and Turuturu participated. The festival was the first move towards the establishment of a rest college. At the beginning of December Mrs. Kaye held a round table conference at Hawera at which she met the officials of the surrounding institutes. The meeting was taken as a preliminary school for future organisers and officers, as the ever increasing membership in the movement necessitated welltrained officers to establish the sound and correct formation of new institutes. Negotiations were at present being made to hold schools for organisers and officers throughout Taranaki during the winter. Reference was made to the excellent work of the retiring president, Mrs. Kaye. FRIENDSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING. “In conclusion,” stated the report, “may the bonds of understanding and friendship among women of all classes and creeds grow stronger year by year. May all institute members strive to achieve, high standards of personal integrity and public service so as to maintain a satisfactory quality of life in our rural homes.”

Moving the adoption of the report, Mrs. Kaye referred to the need for branch institutes to make efforts on behalf of the rest cottage scheme. Wanganui, the neighbouring federation, was ahead of Taranaki in the matter, and it was up to Taranaki to establish its rest cottage.

The balance-sheet showed receipts totalling £B9 10s Old, which included the balance on April 1, 1933, of £5 19s lid, affiliation fees £25 8s 9d, donations £25 11s 6d, and proceeds of potato and sales. Expenditure totalled £69 2s 7d, the chief items being organising expenses £2O 8s 6d, executive travelling expenses £l4 4s and Dominion executive affiliation fees £lO.

The election of the executive resulted as follows: Mesdames Kaye, W. J. Smith (Inglewood), A. Morey (Tikorangi), McAsey (Te Roti), Walton (Patea), Whitehead (Tikorangi), T. J. Allan (Normanby), Brewer (Kaponga) and E. J. Smith (Opunake) and Misses Free (Normanby) and Coleman (Ngaere), Mesdames Brewer and E. J. Smith tied in the ballot for the tenth place and both were cv-opted. Mrs. Kaye was unanimously re-elected president. Several institute delegates gave threeminute reports on their six months’ activity, the best in the opinion of the voting delegates being that from the Opunake Maori institute. Delegates were present from Eltham, Inglewood, Kaimata, Kaponga, Kakaramea, Mangatoki, Okaiawa, Patea, Norfolk Road, Ngaere, Tikorangi, Turuturu, Te Roti, Tariki, Tarata, Upper Mangorei, Normanby, Whareroa, Tawhiti, Ohawe, Opunake, Motunui, Turu Township, Opunake Maori, Okaiawa Maori, Waitara, Taiporohenui, Warea and Ketemarae. The winning report of the Opunake Maori Institute was as follows: “During the past six months we haye had an average attendance of eight members, but recently two more have been enrolled. Visitors have frequented the meeting and the branch, is hopeful of enrolling these as members. Lecturers and demonstrators have provided helpful and interesting addresses and competitions have had keen interest displayed in them. Dances and euchre parties have been successfull financially and helped to unite Maori and pakeha in the district. An outstanding event was the Christmas treat for Maori children. Considered as one of the smallest Maori institutes,” concluded the report, “we hope that in the near future we shall be able to create a wider interest amongst our Maori women in them homes and for their country in accord with our motto, kia mara koto te pokerekere—undaunted by difficulties.” When the conference resumed after lunch Mrs. Paterson, Dominion president, and Mrs. Kaye were presented with bouquets. Mrs. Kaye was also presented with a lavender chain of office. INSPIRATION OF MOUNTAIN. She was charmed with Inglewood, a place in which she had not previously been, said Mrs. Paterson. She would never forget the snow-capped peak that met her gaze that morning. Surely the institute members and everyone in Taranaki must gain some inspiration from the magnificent mountain always before their gaze. Mrs. Paterson congratulated the federation on its excellent annual report by Miss E. Burkhart, the secretary, and saw Taranaki and its officials were a worthy link in the chain of institute activity around the world. The work of the institutes was progressing and meant far more than could ever be expressed to countrywomen everywhere. Women had everywhere been merely as the sun and the rain—taken for granted. Now their institutes were co-ordinating their powers for humanitarianism, good fellowship and good. Mrs. Paterson showed how the institutes did their work during the war in England, helping towards the food supplies, watching over the fruit trees and growing vegetables. It was from a beginning like that that the Women’s Institutes began to realise the possibilities of their organisation for public life, for creating public opinion along the right lines and helping the countrywoman —splendid material that had never been drawn upon. Those who had been in England in the early days of the institutes had seen how the power of them had steadily grown. The question was now to be asked by them, is the most being made of the organisation’s resources, every atom of thought and energy? If the institute was going to accomplish anything worth while they must know wherein lay their power. There was the old adage “knowledge is power.” If they were to be powerful they must leam-of the things outside their organisation. They must hold a strong belief against war; they must have a knowledge of the dealings between nations and be ready to raise a combined voice for peace, the one great aim desired at the present _ time. The best way to make a beginning towards that was to cultivate the spirit of friendliness to the utmost in the institutes, forgetting any little irritations. _ The effects of combined thought by mstitutes throughout the world—and institutes, m other countries had just the same ideals as in New Zealand-could do marvellous good. WORK FOR EDUCATION. Institutes could also do much in the way of education, said Mrs. Paterson. They had the aptitude of bringing out all the latent character and ability of members, educating them to be better enjoyers of life and happier in every, day things. Similarly everything pertaining to health should claim members attention—not family health only, but the national health, to obtain a knowledge of what the hospitals were doing. None of these things could be done without first obtaining knowledge. The best way to do that was to begin in their own homes and their own institutes, sending out helpful thoughts, for every woman and girl in the community to benefit. The ideas of the women, averred Mrs. Paterson, determined the . fate of the community, and they must remember the part they had to play. She would like to place these ideals before them, the ideal of serving others and the ideal of making themselves fit to serve others. On the motion of Norfolk Road it was decided that all suggestions for group meetings be placed in writing. The operation of the potato competition was the subject of a remit from Normanby. It was decided to issue each institute with the same weight of potatoes.

Patea raised the question of devising better means of financial assistance for the executive to enable the committee to do its work untrammelled by financial considerations, particularly travelling expenses. The remit was deferred till after the problem has been considered by the Dominion conference. Mrs. Paterson explained how provision was made for institutes with small memberships to combine to send a delegate to the Dominion conference. The location of the next half-yearly council conference was fixed as Hawera. Mr. J. B. Penn (Inglewood) was reelected auditor.

At a subsequent meeting of the executive Mrs. W. J. Smith (Inglewood) was elected secretary and Miss A. C. Coleman (Ngaere) treasurer. Mrs. A. Whitehead (Tikorangi) was elected assistant secretary.