Y.M.C.A. AT VERSAILLES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 239, 3 July 1919, Page 6

Y.M.C.A. AT VERSAILLES

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

NEW ZEALAND'S COMMISSIONER

RETURNS

Mr. W.J-H. George, lion, commissioner for the New Zealand Y.M.C.A., and a member of the National Council, returned to Wellington by the Paloona on Monday afternoon, after a year's active service with Y.M.C.A* war work in England and France. Mr. George said that although it was a matter tor tho men themselves to decide, over and over again he had been told by those in a position to iudge that for efficiency, enterprise, and effective service the New Zealand Y.M.C.A. was easily ahead of any other similar organisation. "This was," ho said, "due to tho fact that our work was concentrated on our men."

In company with Mr. Hughes, who returned recently, Mr. George made a tour of the whole of the British, Canadian, and Now Zealand fronts, and was present at the opening of the advance on Valenciennes.'; Subsequently they visited the American front near Verdun, and were there under shell tire. Bo Harding any criticism that may havo been levelled against tho American Y.M.C.A., there was no doubt as «o rlie effect of the services rendered before the armistice.

A month before returning to New Zealand. Mr. George went over the whole of the ground over which the New Zealand troops had fought from the time the'v landed in France, and ho was alilo to secure photographs which were not possible to obtain under wai conditions:

After completing this inspection he attended a very unique Y.M.C.A. convention, presided over by Dr. Moll, secretary of the American International Committee, and one of the most widelytravelled men in the world. The convention was originally convened to be hold in a hotel in Versailles, but this was commandeered for the use of the German delegates. There were present at the conference delegates of the Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. war 'workers from every quarter of tho globe, with the exception of Germany and Austria. II; was held for tho purpose of considering the after-war programme of the various organisations represented, and extended over four days. Mr. George says: "It was very inspiring to listen to tho told and daring plans of some, of the leaders to overtake, in some adequate, effective way, the tremendous opportunities for after-war service that were being presented in tho new conditions evolved during the war.

"This conference was only a preliminarv to a larger gathering to be called next year, probably in New York, At litis meeting consideration will bo given to the establishment of. an Anglo-Saxon Union of Y.M.C.A.'s, which would, of course, include not only the British Empire, but also America and Canada, whose missionary operations have, up to the present, been on a very much larger scale than anything vet attempted by the Y.M.C.A.'s of tho British Empire. The object of the union is to avoid any overlapping of effort to co-operate actively on the extension of the Y.M.C.A. work throughout the countries of India, China, and Japan, and also on tho continent of Europe, whose leaders have had ocular demonstration of the beneficent work, and who have been sending in innumerable requests for tho permanent establishment of something akin lo a Y.M.C.A. hut in the villages and towns throughout the countries. The great problem faced by the conference was the necessity of training colleges for secretaries for the work, and this will also be fully considered next year."

Mr. George passed through the United Stntes before connecting with the Faloona at, San Francisco.