WOMEN TEACHERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3073, 8 May 1917, Page 3

WOMEN TEACHERS

THE HOME AND THE FUTURE

ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL MEETING

The.annual meeting of the Wellington Women Teachers' Association was held. in. the Education Department Buildings last evening. Miss Myers (president) occupied tho chair, and there was-an excellent attendance of members.

In the course of the report of tho year's work, mention was made of lectures given by: Miss A. E. Bright and . .Dr. Ada Patterson, both of which created much interest. Two members had retired on superannuation during the year, and Miss. Coad, who represented the association at the annual meeting of the N.Z.E.1., had taken up an appointment at the Wellington. Girls' College. Remits forwarded by the association to the above meeting dealt with the size of classes and the advisability of having a woman with the same status as an infant mistress in charge of senior girls. At the annual conference of the N.Z.E.1., Miss Myers was present as president Miss Coad as secretary, and Miss Finlayson and Miss Hetherington as delegates. This year two important resolutions were passed. The report stated that it is felt that more interest is being- taken in the ■work of the association' by members, Jiut it is desirable that even more should be taken. ,

1 The report and balance-sheet were . edopted after some discussion. In the course of her presidential address, Miss Myers told her hearers that in the past the v value of woman's work had failed to achieve recognition. Even at the beginning of the war she had not been considered of importance in the great struggle or! which the world was entering. In order that munitions might be obtained, women oame forward in great numbers to them,' and also to free men for service. In answer to the call for money, money was poured in. Now another appeal was being made to women, and that was to rise up in their strength and save the nation, not by fighting nor by acting as substitutes for men, but by doing the work that had been acknowledged to ho theirs from time - immemorial—in the homes themselves. Thus every home and every woman were brought into the struggle that the homes might be saved by reforms from within., Even before the war there were signs that the home had not adjusted itself to the changed conditions of the times. Therefore its efficiency.was impaired. Inefficient homes meant inefficient nations. The efficiency of the homes depended on the ■ efficienoy of the women of the and unless these were efficient the nation must suffer. It was not enough for one section or sections of the community to be efficient —the whole nation must be, for the, strength of the home could-no longer ■be confined to the four walls of the house of the. individual, but must ho enlarged to include the collective homes of the nation. This enlarged view of the home showed its importance, and also the -complexity of the work connected with it. It was the pivot on which the-whole of our. civilisation turned, and it could not now ber separated froin world happenings. . A recent stoppage in the wheels of industry was immediately felt, not only in every home in the Dominion, but in every occupation in the daily life of the people. _ Yet another example of this interlacing of things was- the food ,problem,-but it was to the women of

the nation to whom .it was of tho greatest concern. To show that this was recognised, a small band of women experts was appointed, including Mrs. Pomber Reeves (a Now Zealand woman) to assist tho British Government. This food problom was of a three-fold character, continued' Miss Myers, that of production, of distribution; and of consumption, and every other commodity had to be similarly considered. When this was realised, we knew that the problems connected with home life dealt with the laws that governed the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms—all the sciences, all the arts, and all tho industries. It would bo seen; therelore, that the efficiency of the home depended on efficiency on the part of those who had to deal with it.

To cope with conditions in tho future, Miss Myers held that it would be necessary that they should study the problems dealing not only with food and its differont relationships, but even other matters that concerned the home. And what did not affect it? In this way a new world of work opened out before women, in which their natural abilities should find free scope. _ The experience that had been gained in organising during the war, and in. business methods, should be invaluable. If women would consider the problems of Jife from the effect they are likely to nave uponthe home and home'life, and direct their energies to that end they would confer on the world a great boon, for the result must be improvement in the home first, and that would result in improvement in social conditions generally. The responsibility' for this work must be given to the women of the nation, if success were .to be achieved.

The election of officers for the coming, year resulted as follows:—President..Miss Coad;'vice-presidents, Miss Bright and Miss Williams: secretary, Miss Newman: treasurer. Miss Russell; committee. Misses Finlayson. Cook, Acheson, Thompson, and Woodward. GIFTS TO TROOPS MESSAGE FROM EARL PLUNKET. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auokland, May 7. The Countess of Liverpool has received the following message from Earl Plunket dated February 16, in reference to gift goods distributed by the New Zealand War Contingent Association in London: — : "Major Greene, 0.C., Military Gifts Section, tells me that gift parcels are being sent to France as opportunity effors. There was lately 6ome delay for a time owing to lack of space and interruption of communications, hut parcels are well under way again now. I suppose it is understood in New Zealand that all transport to and from France is in tbe_ hands of the Imperial military authorities, and that, gifts, presents, etc., have to. give way to munitions and military! supplies, so that any delay that takes place is unavoidable, and no responsibility, therefore, ataches to Major Greeneor to the association. When one considers the enormous amount of stuff that has to be transported over the Channel and up to the in the face of great difficulties, it is indeed wonderful that so little delay and loss occurs."