1930 - Annual Convention Report

              24 A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
I returned by train from Grande Prairie.
This year they intend to hold their first District Conference, thus com­pleting
their District organization.
In District No. 3 I attended six conferences with Mrs. Ferguson. I met
her at Stettler from where we went to B i g Valley, Galahad, Hughenden and
Veteran, covering some three hundred miles. Later I motored to the Con­stituency
Conference at Lacombe and Angus Ridge, and at Mrs. Ferguson's
expense attended the Red Deer Conference during her illness.
To these Directors I am very grateful as by their kindness they saved
railway fare and enabled me to attend more conferences.
This fall I hope to give more time to Mrs. Alcock's and Mrs. Short's
territory.
I attended the District Conferences in Districts 2, 3 and 4 and made
several trips to Edmonton on Institute business.
The suggestion of our former president, Mrs. Huyck, to undertake some
special work provincially along the lines of public health or agriculture, has
been given some thought, but my personal opinion is that for the present,
considering general conditions, we had better leave the matter in abeyance.
Perhaps your Council may seem ungracious, but it has been necessary
several times to refuse to allow other charitable organizations to circularize
our ' Institutes for money.
The individual Institutes have every right to contribute to any non-sectarian
organization if their obligations to their own and the Provincial
society have been discharged, but our members are generous and frequently
give until there is not enough left to defray expenses.
At a meeting of Constituency Conveners yesterday, the thought was ex­pressed
thai some of the Institutes were becoming tired of the work of the
Standing Committees. It would seem that there is hardly any work we
undertake that does not fit itself under one of these headings. There are so
many phases of each that could be used that it seems a splendid opportunity
for the Institutes to cultivate their originality in developing fresh ideas.
I would like very much if more attention could be given to developing
the native handicrafts among our new Canadians. I do not know of a better
organization to do this than our own.
The School Act provides for the teaching of music in the rural schools,
but for reasons of economy I expect, this is not done in many places. Please
do not think I am riding a pet hobby to death, but I do wish our women
would use their influence and where possible see that this is carried out.
A singing country is a happy and contented one, and nothing helps more
to keep down a spirit of unrest. It is with the children we must begin.
Why do corporations hire song leaders to conduct assembly singing at
the luncheon hour if it is not to keep the employees contented and happy?
We have an exhibit here, sent by M r / Seymour, head of the Town Plan­ning
Commission, of which Mrs. H u y c k is a member. His department is at
the service of our members in their problems of beautifying cemeteries,
streets, school grounds and rural homes. You will no doubt avail your­selves
of its privileges while here.
Tree cutting is becoming a serious question in some parts of the province.