THE Y.W.C.A.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1922, Page 4

THE Y.W.C.A.

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR’S WORK. ANNUAL MEETING. The annual meeting of the New Plymouth branch of the Y.W.C.A. was held last evening, the Mayor (Mr. F. E. Wilson) presiding over an attendance of about sixty or seventy members. After prayer was offered up by the Rev. O. Blundell, the annual report, as published, w-as adopted, as was the balance-sheet, which showed that the hostel receipts had been £1627, and the expenditure £1589, the net profit being £37. The assets were shown at £7597 and the liabilities was a mortgage of £4OOO, plus sundry creditors £156.

In moving the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, the chairman congratulated all concerned upon what he described as a “wonderful success.” He referred to the difficulties in the way of those who had launched and carried into effect the scheme to establish the hostel. In those days there were a good many “doubting Thomases” who could see no good or use in the scheme, and endeavored to throw cold water upon it, but they could now see, on reviewing the operations of the year, that it had filled a real need in the town, particularly as regards girls and women who came into the town from outside places, and who otherwise would have experienced serious difficulty in finding suitable accommodation. * The hostel was thus proving a distinct benefit no- only to the girls of the town but to u outside districts. He took advantage of the opportunity to publicly thank the Y.W.C.A. for the ready help they had given him when he made his recent appeal for help for the unemployed, and to acknowledge the great help the hon. treasurer (Mrs. C. H. Weston) had -given the Y.W.C.A. cause by the excellent dramatic entertainments organised by her. (Applause.) The Mayor also paid a tribute to the work of the treasurer (Mrs. A. M. McDiarmid), whose keeping of the 'books had elicited the warm commendation of the auditor. He concluded by expressing the hope that the enthusiasm which had been responsible for the successful establishing and running of the institution during its first year would not be allowed to abate, but that they would all combine and make the association a still more useful factor in the life of the community. The Rev. W. J. Elliott said; he had followed the work of the branch since it was inaugurated with much interest, and was gratified with the progress, it had made. He had also (been making comparisons between the women and men since he had come to New Plymouth, and he had to admit that in the manifestation of interest in and enthusiasm for movements for the welfare of the community many of the ladies had surprised him, being much more prominent than the young men, whose activities were mostly confined to sport and pleasure. He believed in clean sport, but it should not be allowed to take precedence over the more important affairs of life. The work the Y.W.C.A. was doing here and elsewhere could not be praised too highly. The local branch had made surprising headway in the short period it had been in existence, and he desired to accord praise to those responsible for the management of the hostel, which was, he knew from outside friends of his who had stopped there, excellently conducted. Mr. T. C. List (chairman of the men’s advisory (board) said he also desired to congratulate the ladies upon the excellent results they had attained during their first year. He had examined the balance-sheet, and said that the credit balance on the year’s working was really £75 and not £37 as shown, for expenses of a non-recurring nature that might have been put to the capital account had been met out of revenue. The advisory board had considered that if the ladies could meet their expenses the first year they would do well, and after that they might be able to reduce their capital liabilities by £2OO per annum, thus in ten years’ time they would only owe on their fine, well equipped building some £2OOO. The financial position was an entirely sound one, especially considering the depressive times they had passed through, and it only went to show that the advisory board’s judgment in recommending the ladies to purchase the building was justified. If they had gone in for an inferiot building he felt sure the same results could not have been secured. They had been condemned for buying the building on the ground that it would reduce the boarding and lodging accommodation of the town, but they found that instead of reducing it the ladies had actually increased it by over 33 per cent. It was true that the building was not open to men, but men could fend for themselves where it was difficult, if not impossible, for women. He personally had no regrets about advising the purchase of the place by the Y.W.C.A., nor had any other members of the board. He was glad the association was making arrangements to allow Mi?s Roughton to go out and interest herself in the welfare of the girls of the community. He always regarded the hostelry as but a headquarters for activities amongst the girls, and he felt sure they would find plenty of scope and need for them. Later on he hoped to see launched a branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association, for which there was also considerable need. He concluded by congratulating the officers upon their successful work during the year, and only regretted that the president (Mrs. E. A. Walker) had had to Jay down the reins. He commended the work of Miss Roughton, who was particularly fitted for carrying out the work of the association.

At this stage Mrs. Walker was presented with a handsome bouquet from the inmates of the hostelry, in acknowledgment “of the many kind efforts made in the interests of the girls.”

The following were elected members of the board: Mesdames Alxander, O. Blundell, T. C. Liat (re-elected), A. D. Thomson, Mowlem and Campbell. The president (Mrs. Walker) said they would all agree that the hostel had* justified its existence. They had many evidences that the accommodation provided was filling a very definite need and that the calls upon it, from outside particularly, would become greater in the future. She referred to the splendid and loyal co-operation of her colleagues. In Miss Roughton they had found one had never been failing in friendliness and in management capacity. They were, by freeing Miss Roughton of some of the work of the hostelry, working towards establishing a girls’ citizen scheme. Mrs. Walker said she was laying down her responsibilities with great regret, but trusted on her return from England to see the association advance in every sphere of usefulness and service. Miss Roughton expressed thanks for

the help that had been accorded her on every hand, especially by the board of directors, an'd the president, to whose wise leadership the hostel had been established on a firm, foundation. The numerous letters received showed that the institution was needed, and that the friendliness that the Y.W.C.A. stood for and was freely giving was valued and appreciated. Votes of thanks were passed to the officers, Miss Roughton, the Press, and others who had helped the association during the year.