WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 275, 16 August 1919, Page 7

WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

ANNUAL MEETING. The .annual the Women's National Reserve was held in the Pioneer Clni last evening. Only.working mem-, bers,.were present, but these were so many that the room was practically tilled to overflowing. Mrs. Jlatliew Holmes (president) occupied the chair, and anion? those who wore present were Mrs. G. H . Russell, president of the Honorary Division of the .N.Ti:. Mrs. Corliss. Dominion president, and Mrs. Porter, organising secretary. ' The report, as read by the secretary (Airs. Pope), stated, inter alia. that, at the Dominion Conference, whiehwas held in Febvuarr, it had been' decided to continue the work of the: reserve although the war, was at an end. and that the rpscrvp should b& administerod by a, Dominion Council, consisting of five members and executive officers. Jfrs. Corli« was elected president of the council, whii'h will meet half-venrly in Auiust and Tebmary..-The hoadmia iters ivill lie in Wellington. In tho Wellington district. £25,M0. approximated had been raised {<>* war burnoses. Not: IMI the Mothers' Help Division started collecting had the reserve mndc anv demand for-, it.4 own w-ork. The extension and wider.spheres of work wore especi-. al'v ,in connection with the returned soldiers, their wives, fnmilies. widows, and orphans, and made full demands nnoii all members of Hip Touching upon the. work of tho sections of the active division, it was sM«-l Hint the voluntary clerical workers had done an immense amount of. clerical work ot all kind" liejiit organised fer■ Base -Records, where they worked till demolylised The Memorial Graves Committee, with 'Mrs. M'ath'ew Holmes as president, and Mrs.- Oilfield, as secretarv, lia<l worked exceedingly hard for nearly three vears, not only having secured the grou.no for a memorial cemetery, but also getting the design for making it tho most beautiful one in the Dominion. A lyeh gate wi'l be erected as a memorial. to the fallen on all fronts. The. club for the Wives of Soldiers and Sailors had been carried on for three years, lie Welfare Committee had managed all t ie internal affairs of the organisation. Iho Orphans Club contributed a substantial donation to this section, Plunket and nursing lectures had been given, and various piiblic people, had given addresses and shown interest in the work. It was regrettable that- so few women of tho community took so little interest in .tins special phase of the work not realising that to be interested in their wives and children - was to help the men themselves. The work of the Girls'-Club was referred to, and tributes paid -o Miss Black.' the former secretary, who had rone to America, and to Miss Pitlard, the present secretary. Other sections that wore ;nntlincd in resrard to activi ties were the Minialure Hide Club sec-lion, with Mrs. o'Sulliv;in as president, tho Juvenile Branch of the Hon., .Division, with Mrs. G. W. Russell as president, Hie Medical Service Division, with Mrs. A. Crawford as president. Tho aim ol {he latter was to make the teaching ot elementary practical nursing as lar-reach-ing as noioible. Large numbers ot women ■ind girls engaged in offices end other directions hat! availed thcmigelves of the opportunity. The Public Health Detriment supplied the lecturers, who were ill! highly cimililicd and experienced nurse--, "many of them sisters from the front. Mis-. Macle.'.n ami hoi- stall' had gone to a great deal of trouble in.arranging for these classes. As many as fifteen a week had been in Wellington, and over 1250 received instruction. In Gisborne, If.a.-tings, and oilier sub-centres work was keenly taken up.

.The executive wished to place on record their best thanks to Dr. Platls-Mills for her support and sympathy in tlio past nud her prouiisfl of help for the, future. Gratitude to all who had helped as secretaries to the various sections was exniessed:- to Mi's. Corliss, who for two ueaiy was secretary of the executive; to Mrs. 'Hope, doing secretarial iui{| treasurer's, work: '.Mrs. (;). W. liobiuson, Mr. Alexander, Mrs. (libhons, and many kind friends. The -report and balance-sheet were adopted. Tn moving the adoption of the report, Mrs. Corliss paid a very special tribute to tlio work of Mrs. Porter, organising fiicretary for the reserve. Jt was a very difficult thing to link together so many women throughout the Dominion, and stiill .more to hold them together as she had done throughout Ilie war period. She had given lo the reserve her tinie % her strength, and her labour, and shn had done wonderfully line work. She had brought tin 1 reserve into existence, and had laboured and planned for il; until it was now tlio large organisation of today. The war was over, but there was stiV need of its work. She thought if. was no small thing alone to have trained ]:K0 women and .'/iris so that they were prepared for sickness in their homes or nut of if. The election of officers resulted as follim'c; —President of the Ceil I nil Executive, \W'liiij.'lon,- J'i-j. Miithew Holmes; Itmsurer, ftndv Vindlay; rcrefarv. Mr*. Hope; badge secretary. Mrs; 0. W. ff-olj-iiwni: committee, Mesdame.s Belhune, Dowlimr. Taylor. Willoughby, Bristow, Watt, Shirer. and Trinp. A brief programme of musical and elocutionary items wni\ given, and supper e.imciuded the evening

An mlvprlisciiiciit of inlwfc to filizons who would lik" to r-ntnrl.niit am- nf Hip nion of lOI.S. New Zealand in tlifir liomos nr In arranßO nnlcrtninmpiils for (lipm nppr;u" in anoU'Pr r-ohimn. Ant)Hc;i.iir>!if for fcicVote for flip ball sliould lio-sonl. lo >Tr- K. W. Shallciuss, Ikr* '.•ourt's'ljiiiklin^.