OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

White Ribbon, Volume 3, Issue 34, 1 April 1898, Page 5

OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Police Department, Commissioner's Office, Wellington, March 14, 1898. No. 215 Madam,— l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 4th inst., addressed to the Hon. the Minister of Justice, upon the question of having separate places of detention, in the large towns of the colony, for persons supposed to be insane while awaiting examination, and in reply thereto to inform you that the matter is receiving the attention of this Department. I am. Madam, Yours obediently, W. B. Tunbridge. Commissioner of Police. Miss L. M Kirk, Recording Sec. V/.C.T.U. of N.Z. St. Paul’s Schoolroom, Napier.

OUR OWN PAPER. An Open Letter to all N.Z. White Ribboneks. Dear White Ribbon Sisters, — Before this letta, meets your eye you will have received a direct communication from head - quarters setting forth the immediate necessity of energetic action if our little paper is to continue in existence. To let it drop is out of the question. What a disgrace to a colony of enfranchised women that they cannot keep one womans paper going! The fact is the White R 1 kbon is not pushed nearly enough outside our own ranks. Thousands of women in New Zealand Have neither seen nor heard of it, many of whom would be very glad to subscribe if it were introduced to them. It is not a paper that we need to be ashamed of, is it? In mentioning it I always make a point of the Parliamentary summary which comes out 'jvery

month during the session. Now that we are fully-fledged electors we ought to keep abreast of the doings of Parliament, and know what the men are doing who are supposed to represent us. But, redly, to wade through the columns of Parliamentary news in the daily paper is more than most women have time for. Then there comes in the White Ribbon and five minutes’ careful study will inform you what measures bearing upon the sp cial interests of women or home have been introduced during the month, and with what result. I have always considered that column in itself worth half-a crown a year to any busy woman. I ht-n there are details of what other women’s societies are doing, and on the last page an excellent health paper. I have used “A. W.’s ” directions for pat ks and other forms of hydropathic treatment with great benefit, so can heartily recommend them. Coming then to our own work. W hat disorganisation would follow if now we had no “official organ.' No body would know what anybody else is doing except at Convention time once a year. Why, such a retrograde step is unthinkable ! So now we must all set to work. Every White-Kibboner should take the paper unless quite unable to afford it; officers cannot satisfactorily do their woik without it. Let every member get at least one new subscriber and send on address and half-a-crown, before June 1 st, and the thing will be done.—Yours in the work, Mary S. Powell, N.Z. Cor Sec. W.C T.U. PS. —ln the list of Departments published last month, my name appears as Superintendent of Medal Contests. That department has been undertaken by Mrs Spence, of Marton. Please make the correction in your Convention number, and then there will be no confusion—M S P. Dear Madam,— Will you kindly publish the following tact: I hat an enlarged photo of Miss F. E. V. lilard, done hy one of Auckland’s best artists, can l»e ha 1 hy applying to the Auckland Union, price six shillings. An early order will oblige. All Unions should have one. Cabinets, one shilling.—Yours, etc., S. A. Plummer.