Y.M.C.A. CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3147, 27 July 1917, Page 6

Y.M.C.A. CONFERENCE

YESTERDAY'S PROCEEDINGS. The annual conference of (he National Committee and the War Auxiliary of the Y.M.C.A. was continued yesterday. The fii-st business was tho consideration of the report of tho commission on constitution submitted by the Hon. J. 0. W. Aitken. The draft constitution was approved. The National Executive was instructed to consider the question of the control of the association's property in various centres, and report to ;i t'utnro meeting of the executive. A further discussion on the training of secretaries was opened by Mr. G. H. "Wilson, .of Auckland, and the necessity of arranging specialised training of field service secretaries at the close of tho war in order to induce them 10 continue in the workj was emphasised in the subsequent discussion. A number of questions of national policy were also considered, but no formal resolutions were recorded. In the afternoon, Mr. H. K. Wilkinson, of Dunedin, opened discussion on. tho association's foreign work policy. A. number of speakers emphasised the need of a wide extension of the association's foreign work and the opinion was freely expressed that no association could be run on sound and successful lires without undertaking largo responsibilities in the foreign field. It was decided to recommend the board of each association to make liberal provision for foreign work in its annual budget, thus taking the financial responsibility upon itself. The following were appointed to act in Wellington as the executive of thfc Foreign Work Commitlen:— Messrs. .T. C. I Port (convener), W. H. George, TT. W. ! Kersley",-.T. llott, .T. M'TOldowncy, W. C. Badden, and A. Tuely, with j'r. S. E. j Peck as lion, -speretary and treasurer. A paper by Mr. W. J. Mains on evan-, gelistic work, with particular to soldiers, was read by the -.tntionnl seurofary-. The action of the executive in. appointing a man specially for evangelistic work met with cordial approval. The subject of publicity work generally and the establishment of a national magazine was discussed at some length. On. the motion of Mr. Oeorsre it was decided that the National Committee I should establish a. Publicity ftoiwittor, j nud devote special attention to the pos- I fibilites of kinema lantern ipntortairments. It was decided to establish n magazine, to bo "Tlip, ?■!(.«• s>alonfl Ynunir Men's Journal." as the official magazine of the Y.M.C.A.'s o* New Zealand. The conference was brought to a close at -U5 p.m.