HANDS, ACROSS THE SEAS

NZ Truth, Issue 1261, 30 January 1930, Page 14

HANDS , ACROSS THE SEAS

Members of The Victoria League At Work FOSTERING EMPIRE UNITY

(By Miss Ethel Jackson, Secretary of Victoria League, m a special interview with "N.Z. Truth.") There are no politics m the Victoria League. It is supported by all parties, and is equally interested m all citizens of the Empire, no matter what their opinions may be. Victoria League members are to be found all over the Empire. They are pledged to do what they can to draw all fellow Britons closer together, and they rejoice to feel themselves of one body with their brothers and sisters Overseas.

THE Victoria League is founded m memory of the late Queen Victoria. Its aim is to foster every movement which makes for union between the United Kingdom and her Overseas Dominions. The objects of the Victoria! League are to advance the general interests of the Empire as a whole and to promote and foster every movement calculated to effect a closer union between British subjects living m different, parts of the wor.ld; to receive and distribute Impex'ial information, and to assist with advice and hospitality Britons from all parts of the Empire visiting the United Kingdom oi the Overseas Dominions; to care for the graves of soldiers and pthers who have rendered service to the Empire; and to foster an. Imperial spirit among the children and country v settlers of the Domln-r ions, who are removed, from 'frequent intercourse with the centres. Founded to help British people m all parts of the Empire to know more of one another, and to tnake it easy for the King's subjects to feel themselves at home if they go from one part of the Dominions to another, the Victoria League has amply justified its foundation. ; By joining the Victoria League you will get friends everywhere and a welcome if you ever go to a strange place and want .a hand to shake when you arrive. You also have the opportunity of sending a newspaper to some lonely

settler far from home, and resulting from this probably correspondence with- some place m which you are interested; and the satisfaction that thrpugh your subscription, however small, you are helping m the work bf binding our Empire closer together. The League aims, therefore, at offering y the hand of brotherhood, irrespective of class, to all, thereby cementing the foundations of the Empire, and ,thus m times of pea.cc preparing an organisation which, m time of need, will be,- iri whatever capacity required, at the service of the British Empire. The branches all work m much the same way m New Zealandj each one makes a strong appeal to members for donations of good books and magazines and sends them to the lighthouses, isolated schools and lonely settlers; arranges correspondence between schools or individual adults and children m different parts of the Empire. New. Zealand children have correspondents m Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, Australia and Great Britain. The League gives prizes for essays on Empire subjects m schools, provides personal introductions to members of the League going to other parts of the Empire, and as official representative of the Society of the Overseas Settlement of British Women will receive nominations from employers desiring to obtain, the services of educated gentlewomen for domestic work.