CORRESPONDING SECRETARY’S REPORT.

White Ribbon, Volume 26, Issue 310, 18 April 1921, Page 7

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY’S REPORT.

The year which has just closed has not l>een marked by any special activity on the part of the Unions. The lack of an immediate incentive to Temperance work always means the disbanding of some of the weaker Unions, and during last year at least six have been unable to And leaders and have disbanded. The number of active adult Unions is 90, and of "Y” Unions 6. The membership is 1862, an advance upon the number; of last year, but still below those of 1918. Two new

Unions have been added to our ranks — Oamaru. with a membership of 104, and Carterton with 65, while South Dunedin and Kaikorai have been reorganised. The “Y" Unions are still, as ever, a difficult problem, and yet the indications are that the* work of this department was never more needed than it is today. Invercargill “Vs" appear to have discovered the secret of how to interest and hold the young people, for that branch has a membership of 318. The usual Provincial Conventions have been held with marked success. The value of these Conventions is undoubted. It is usual to secure the attendance of delegates from nearly every branch in the province. The time a delegate is absent from home is limited to two or three days, and the expense incurred in travelling is not great, while the opportunity for the discussion of questions and of disseminating information is especially valuable to the Unions which have not been able to send a representative to the Annual N.Z. Convention. The outstanding features of the work during the year have been the decision of Auckland and Wanganui District Unions to endeavour to establish hostels for young women, while Palmerston North has the “Willard" Home for Children in full working order. Auckland, with the assistance of some of its auxiliaries, has already raised nearly £IOOO for its hostel fund, and Wanganui has made a fair start in the same dirertion. A number of the Unions took a leading part in starting and supporting the* fund for the starving children of Central Europe. Work Among Seamen appears to have received more support than usual this year. This is a matter in which every Union should take* an interest, and a “day" for our sailors might find a place on ever} syllabus. Greytown reports assistance given to The Blind Soldiers' and Sailors’ Fund, while other Unions report efforts made on behalf of Dr. Barnardo’s Homes. Opotiki contributed £2l to this object, and Dunedin District Union, with the aid of some of its auxiliaries, raised £ll4 by a street collection. Organising work has gone steadily on. Miss Earns haw has visited several districts, organising Unions at Oamaru and Carterton, and reorganising others, securing subscribers to the “White Ribbon" and new members for our Unions. If if were only possible to have two or three capable organisers, instead of only one, our work would go ahead by leaps and bounds. Miss Weymouth is still in Great Britain. and the date of her return is uncertain. It is hoped that we shall be able to increase our forces by the addition of at least one organiser. Miss Mayo is at present in training, and will be available for work later on. The correspondence during the year hits included letters from and to the officers of the World’s W.C.T.U., the President of U.S. W.C.T.U., the West

Australian Union. the Australasian W.C.T.U., Mrs Jamieson Williams, N.S.W. Union, Miss Newcomb, the British Dominions Women’s Citizens’ League,, the International Suffrage Alliance, and the Committee of Enquiry into the condition of Indian women in Fiji. A cable of congrat tbit ion was sent to the American Union when the 36th State ratified the Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution, tints enfranchising' th«* whole of the women of the United States. In closing my report. 1 want to emphasise* a very important point. It appears from the reports that very litth* attention is paid to the matter of taking pledges. It is true that there is a tendency to attach little weight to the importance of pledge-taking. Our energies were directed mainly to the goal of prohibition. We have urged people* to vote* out the traffic in strong drink, while we have not emphasised the* personal side of the question. U. HENDERSON. Hon. Cor. Secretary.