WOMEN’S WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 209, 4 August 1937, Page 13

WOMEN’S WORLD

Mrs J. W. Harvev and Miss Joan Harvey have left New Plymouth by car to spend a' holiday at Palmerston North, Hastings, and Tnuranga. Mrs B. Jamieson, of Princess Street, is visiting Waimate. Mrs F. Grover, of Palmerston North, is spending a holiday with her sister, Mrs G. 'Fear, Durie Hill, Wanganui. Mrs F. Slater, of Palmerston North, leaves in a few weeks by a Dutch liner for the East, to make the round trip up the Australian coast to New Guinea, Java, Singapore and Saigon, and back through Singapore, Java, and the Pacific Islands. Seventy years ago, on August 1, 1867, Miss Fannie Garlick was married to Mr William Lilly in the present Durham Street Methodist Church, Christchurch, and the ceremony, the third of its kind in the church, was performed by Rev. Thomas Buddie. On Sunday Mr and Mrs Lilly received the congratulations of many of the friends they have made during the years that have passed since their marriage. Two great surprises for them were a cable of congratulations from Their Majesties the K’ng and Queen, and a telegram from 7lie Governor-General, 1 iscount Galway. Mrs C. Bates, l-ormerly of Auckland and now of Wanganui, who had been created a Justice of the Peace, did fine service in Auckland as secretary of the Society for the Protection of Woman and Children. As a member of the National Council of Women she sat on important committees, such as the Child Welfare, Borstal and Maternity Service, of which she was secretary. She was president of the Mount Roskill League of Mothers, and has always been interested in social questions and the design to help forward any reforms. It was through Mrs Bates’ efforts that a branch of the National Council of Women was formed the other clay at Wanganui. Mrs Mere Newton, of Auckland, whose appointment as a Justice of the Peace has been announced, is the second woman member of the Maori race to be thus honoured, the first being the late Mrs Rewa Bennett, of Parnell. Mrs Newton is a well-known social welfare worker, and is a licensed interpreter, first grade. She is very proud of her Maori descent, as a member of Te Atiawa tribe of Taranaki, through which she is closely connected with Te Rangihiroa (Dr Peter Buck), and with the late Sir Maui Pomare. For many years she has worked for the cause which is most dear to her heart, the uplifting and helping of the Maori people.

(By “Nanette.”)

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, APPEAL FOR MAORI MISSIONS. The annual meeting of the Wanganui Women’s Presbyterial Association was held in St. Andrew’s Hall, Palmerston North, yesterday afternoon, when there was a large gathering. Sixteen of the twenty branches in the association were represented. Mrsj A. H. Norrie, of Westmere, Wanganui j (president), presided during the busi-1 ness portion of the meeting, and asso-i ciated with her was Mrs E. Vincent,! of Wanganui (secretary). ,J I The report stated that the membership numbered 511. 468 being active members and 43 corresponding members. The Eoxton branch had been started once more. There was an increased membership in the Maori Mission Birthday League, there being 1083 senior members and 43 juniors, and £62 Is 9d had been collected. The various activities of the auxiliary were detailed, and it wa6 stated that £407 11s had been paid out to assist the mission schemes of the church, as against £366 last year. The sale of Oriental goods realised £IBO this year, compared with £6O last year. Miss B. Mollison. of Wanganui, presented the balance-sheet.

Branch reports and special secretaries’ reports were presented, and proved most interesting. At this stage a number of members of the Wanganui Presbvterv arrived at the meeting, and Rev. J. Hubbard (moderator) took the chair. Representing the Maori Mission Committee, Revs. J. G. Laughton (Taupo). D. Morgan (Opotiki) and Hemi Nikor.a (Taumarunui). were present to make an appeal for the Maori Missions. A moving address on his impressions of the Maori mission work was given by Rev. Hemi Nikora, wbo spoke for the Maoris and told how his own life had been completely changed through coming into contact with the mission. It was an eloquent testimony fco sim-

pie Kind sincere that the audience was deeply impressed. When they looked back into the past they were amazed at what they had come through, said the speaker—it might aptly be said that “the people who once sat in darkness had seen a great light.” The past was very real in their minds, and although they had gone through so much they still had a tremendous amount to go through; the struggle for light was as real and exacting to-day as ever before. Te only way to save the Maoris was to present the Master to them so simply that they would understand. Rev. Mr Morgan commented that the large representative body present at the meeting revealed the keen interest being taken in the work of the Master. He explained that there was a deficit of £6OOO in the Maori Mission funds, and either that had to be wiped out or the Maori Mission enterprise curtailed. He referred to the wonderful work being carried out by the mission throughout New Zealand, in pointing the Maoris to the right way of living, assisting them with clothes, and -warning them against strong drink. There were 16 mission stations and 29 workers. Mr Morgan described an incident when a Maori had begged him to extend thfe -work into his district, but owing to lack of funds the plea had to go unanswered. He hoped that when the appeal for donations was made on August 15 there would be a generous response. Rev. Mr Laughton said that there was one door to hope and life for the Maoris —that was the door of the mission house. Was it going to be closed or left open? Mr Hubbard paid a tribute to the splendid effort of the three ministers in making such a worth-while appeal, and Mrs Norrie added her thanks. Various votes pf thanks were accorded, including, one to Mrs Fairburn, of Dunedin, who represented the association on the Dominion executive. , -r, - St Andrew’s and St. David s branches, Palmerston North, will conduct the devotions at the next meeting at Marton. Afternoon tea concluded the gathering.