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Country Women in New Zealoiid Editor's Note:#Because Institute members are interested in Country women’s organizaâ€" tions in other parts of the world, we quote here from a letter that came to Mrs. Anna Ewen from. an A.C.W.W. friend, Miss Brenda Bell, in New Zealand, Miss Bell, writing about a trip through New Zealand. says: “Saw quite a bit of the Country Women’s Association, which is affiliated with the A.C.W.W. A remarkable organization, It just about runs the countryside. Every town and village has buildings labelled Q.C.W.A. 7 Queensland Country Women's Association. Only about 25,000 members but they own three-quarters of a million pounds worth of property 7 hostels for expectant mothers, for primary and secondary school children, a private hospital. libraries, rest-rooms, often with halls or committee rooms or suites for visiting doctor or dentist, an ambulance boat, oaby clinics, a laundry, shop, seaside cottages and flats, homes for aged womenâ€"there’s just no end to the list. “On my count the 518 branches own 35-1. or thereabouts. buildings or whatever. I saw one hostel taking 80 children, That district had 27 branches; it owned the hostel and had to find £122,500 of the cost. It asked each of its 27 branchEs for £25 a year till it was paid off and in eight years it has now only £1.800 to find, I heard of one mothers’ hostel which, due to shortage of mothers I suppose, was losing £100 a month, yet the branch. 30 members, who owned it, refused to close it and set out to earn or somehow raise the £ 100 a month. It’s just amazing. They couldn't do it without the backing of the men. Coun« cils, Government, Rotary and such, all help. But the women VVOI‘k. They cut sandwiches and cater for every sort of functionalive- stock sales, races, weddings. They have street sales; they sew and cook, but. somehow they keep these places going. As far as I can see they are seldom a paying concern. Mothers and children do pay something, but mainte- nance of buildings is ruin and the whole idea is to have things reasonably cheap. “Four months out of eight, roads in some areas cease to exist in ‘the wet’: the other eight months is usually Drought, But for the duration of 'the wet' people are often unable to move. I heard of one case where they had to put a woman in a boat with an outboard motor, and they drove that boat seventy mile: over what is normally dry land before they could take to wheels and get her to hospital. One hostel I stayed in has its patients coming 300 miles, so one begins to undersh- the C.W.A. work means to the inhnl. i. those empty lands. So often durng the women have to come in weeks h before the baby is due, and to ham they can afford which is clean and able is a mighty big thing. In some tli does the meals. in some the women l own food and use the communal kl' can use washing machine, iron, so: chine, etc, for small sums. It seen. idea and helps to fill in the time 5., their sewing while waiting. “I think they sometimes get u subscriptions. One hears of the Ill. Wing. or Cot, or Piano, or something Then the Government or Rotary, or will present ground or money for :_ provided the C.W.A. runs it. It tonishing to me that there was aha of our members” Willing and hand}.- janitor, cleaner or to count the spins. the seaside tenant had left. "Pretty well every branch had it had done besides the 'CllViSJIv: ‘State’ projects. For instance, they ed a couple of thousand pounds to t! Dortor special appeal last year, £300 a Women's College at the Unnw Queensland, another £1,800 or so lu. S.C.O. coupons for Ceylon. When you of a plane with a ninety-mile hOI'lZIIi' a house in sight you wonder where they find the cash, Speaking from - Queensland is the size of the Brn. Germany, France and a bit of Ital? in, and has a population of 1.300. good sized town in Europe. Besides I lar subscription. six shillings sixpeno they add a "voluntary" penny a disaster fundsâ€"fire, flood, earthqua where in the world, not necessarily land or even Australia, Originally it ‘- for Britain and the A.C.W.W. penny: a cent of that, as far as I could lee kept at local level. “It seemed to me they had little re' Their meetings were concerned E‘nlll'e Plans, reports, money raising. Still the and get quite lyrical over what thi means to them. The relaxation comes ‘ teacups and the excitement of plan1 ‘do’ in aid of projects.” sr * * "Life is eternal; and love 1'5 immortal; .I' is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing limit of our Sight."fiR. “7. Raymond ‘1". J]. :l :1 “1‘ \K v1, “'2 mil-5 .Ziil‘p 'i- h ‘h. “- mil :umi list]1 i the