REPORT OF DOMINION ORGANISER.

White Ribbon, Volume 23, Issue 274, 18 April 1918, Page 10

REPORT OF DOMINION ORGANISER.

During the past year I have visited fort\ different Unions, including every Furope n Branch in the Hawkes Bay Province, also Auckland, except in three or tour cases, where dates could not be arranged. Manv of these were repeatedly visited, while in others l stayed a week or s » working up the interest. The year has been a somewhat strenuous one, as in April I met with an accident, which for six months incapacitated me* f ir using my bicycle a serious handicap. Furthermore, coastal steamers are not famed for luxury, nor do they always arrive and depart at convenient hours, while countn r »acF in a winter such as the last, when the rainfall in Auckland was almost double the average, furn:sh more mud than is at all desirable. Fvpermnces of this kind lead one to appreciate the difficulties of the backbh ck settlers, to whom it is pretty well a normal condition. Such snrroundinors militate against the success of meetings, and are a real hindrance to many Branches, some of which are holding on heroically. It is absolute*

ly necessary that these should be visited three or four times a year, if they are To keep going. Several <listri< t Presidents have this year visited .ill their auxiliaries, at their own expense, but other good workers have neither the time nor the money to do this. The latter difficulty might be to some extent overcome if more attention were paid to securing gentlemen as honorary members—a promising field altogether neglected in some quarters. Some of the Auckland Auxiliaries are almost cut off from help, not only by distance, but also by the infrequency of the steamer service. In less isolated places too, the reduction in the number of trains is a difficulty. On the whole, our work is on a thoroughly sound basis, some Unions succeeding beyond all expectation, and throwing out tendrils in all directions in a wav most refreshing to behold. F.ven in some of the smaller branches, where most of the local patriotic w'ork falls ur>on our women, this is the case. The appeal for the mine-sweepers has proved a real boon to many", winning for them the sympathy of a section of the public previously indifferent. The great difficulty all over the country is the lack of suitable officers, practically all women with any pretensions to leadership being so engaged with Red Cross and other patriotic work as to be quite unable to take on any further responsibilities. This has prevented the formation of new Branches, as in my view, it is much wiser to plant a few White Ribbon papers as seed for a harvest in (he future, than to organise a Branch, which is likely very shortly to collapse, Ormondville. where for several ’ ears our Organisation has not been represented, was re-organised under the efficient leadership of our stalwart worker. Miss Alice WVbb. and less than three weeks ago l formed a Branch at Ryal Bush. i< miles from Invercargill. Here again the difficulty of leadership cropped up, hut as the District Union is going ♦o mother the baby Branch, no doubt it will go on all right. Last week I spent several davs at Anderson’s B«>\\ Dunedin where a very strong remperancc sentiment exists. Quite fifty per cent, of the ladies called upon most willingly joined the White Ribbon Army, though I fear they are mostly too much engaged to become active workers, neither has any leader appeared, so far, but more work musi be put inro it after Convention. I have travelled over five thousand miles by rail “and coach, taken sev-

eral sea-trips, enrolled 147 new members, and secured just a hundred “White Ribbon” subscribers; made a few real friends, had sume humourous experiences, as well as very sad ones, ana conclude the year with many thanks to the kind friends who have so generously entertained me, and loving gratitude to Our Father Who has stood by me through all the ups and downs of life. Yours for God, Home and HumaniMARY S. POWELL, Dominion Organiser.