WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 178, 23 April 1920, Page 8

WOMEN'S NATIONAL RESERVE

■♦ ; " DISCUSSION OP ACTIVITIES. A meeting of the members of committees representing the various activities of the Women's National Eeserve was held in St. John's' Schoolroom yesterday afternoon for' tho purpose of discussing aspects of reserve work. ' Mrs. Mathew' Holmes, president of the Wellington district, presided over an'excellent attendance. Mrs. Corliss (Dominion . president) spoke of tho conference which was held in New Plymouth some little time ago, mid paid a high tribute-to the way iri which it was organised,, and the work carried out. Amongst, the important work dealt with- were to the constitution, an important one being the extension of the Dominion council to include as members the presidents of ..centres and sub-centres. Another equally important one, Mrs. Corliss told her •hearers, was affiliation with the Women's National Council, each 6ub-centre, how-' over,, to decide the matter for itself. The conference also decided that two meetings a vear should be held by the honorary division for the mothers, of soldiers and sailors, and that armistice day 6hould always bo set aside for one of these days. Amongst the various activities discussed wore tho extension of tho medical service detachments .of ■tha. reserve,.the. establishment of residential nurseries, tliß supporting of town-planning societies and of co-operative kitchens, the establishment of paid day helpers, and of girls' clubs, hostels, and other women's welfare work, tho care of soldiers and sailors graves, and the meeting of Teserve workem three or four times a. year. Mrs. Darling gave an outline of what 'was being done in connection with tho Rest I?bom at Courtenay Place. ■ Matters there were in - a very satisfactory condition, and the room was being largely used by mothers with children who had shopping to.do or other business to transnet. When tho rest room was first talked of the City Council had agreed to pay the. rent for the' first year, but they wore now prepared to pay it for the whole of,the time they wero in office. Regarding tho financial position of the rest room there was in "the bank a. balance of £'22i 18s. Gd., so that they were quite prepared to keep oh with the work. Mothers using the room contributed various sums, and last month tho sum of £1 10?. 9d. was paid by them. Mrs. Coleridge, representing tho moth-i ore' division, spoke of the paid helpers, a scheme that had been started to meet tin crying need of mothers with children who could get no help of any kind. The committee of the Mothers' Help Division started by engaging two paid helpers, and so great had been the need for their services that they now had three. They are paid at the rate of £2 10s. a week, and their working days consisted of eight hours a day for five days, with a half-day of four hours' work (44 hours a week in all). Each girl would spend four hours at a time in one place, and her work included all ordinary housework, though not charing.. No distinction of any kind was made-Mho fact that a mother needed help was quite sufficient. Thev had started with a capital of ,£2OO, realised as tho result of a,public appeal, and mothers paid when they could at the rate of a shilling «n hour. If they could not pay that made no difference, where the need existed and an appeal was made. Mrs. A. Crawford outlined the activities of the medical service division of tho Women's National Eeserve, and stated that excellent work had been dono in this respect. The services' of Sister West, who had ,been on active service had been obtained, and she had been giving lectures and demonstrations during tho year. Tho rescrvo was greatly indebted' to the Health' Department fof granting so fino u lecturer as Sister West. ■' ' Mrs. Holmes spoke of tha Memorial Cemetery at Karori. where the work _of tho Graves Committee was now getting ahead. Tho memorial stones and crosses Which wore, to 1m placed on the, graves ■?vro of the same design as those at .flomc,' but as they were not yet finished, temporary wooden crosses were being made to' be in in Teadihess for Anzao Day. A sum of MGO had been collected for tho work of tho eomniittee, and in connection with' tho stone or marble benches and steps which it was proposed to obtain for the cemetery, sho had suggested that it might be got from tho works at Parlicment Buildings, as there wero pieces and ends that were useless for building purposes. • Mrs. Holmes paid a tribute to the work Af the Girls Club in looking afte- the 'raves and placing flowers upon them, and she ended by .making an appeal on their behalf for flowers and wreaths, on Anzac Day. Mrs.- Porter spoke of tho residential nursery. Each equipped cot had had an occupant, and last week there were nineteen children in tho nursery. This Week there wore eighteen, and accommodation for thirty-two children had beon booked iri tho near .future. Mrs. Porter explained that there was no connection between tho Women's National Resorvo residential nursery and the citizens' day. nurseries, for which Apple Day had been organised. They wero two distinct things,' tho latter a citizens work.

The following resolution was passed in regftrd to the donarturo of the Countwa of Liverpool, who is patroness of tho reBervo: "This gathering of executives of the Women's National Boserve o.f Noiv Zealand desire to tender to Your Exwlflency, on. departure from our shores, the most sincere, heartfelt adieu, and good wishes for every happiness in whatevor part of tho Empire yon mny be chosen to, graco' in tho futuro. During tho strenuous, and suffering time of war Your'-Excellency, by personal sympathy, deeply endeared yourself to ranuy moth, ers and wives of soldiers, thus alleviating the distress of many sufferer*. May God guard.and guide Your Excellency. Afternoon tea ended an intarestiu(f aud instructive afternoon. .