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What’s in our future? \t'it‘iii/ lt‘t]Hr’\l\ have been made In Home A‘ country Mr reprint HHO President t'lirtrlulte Johnson's [935 uteri t‘lllll't’lllliifl speech. Ht'rt' II is. \\ Iicic are we going. and how tire we getting there? 1 would like to consider \\ ith you the tuture of the Women's llhllltllt‘s in Ontario. and “here do we go It'oni here"? I would like its to think about the road we [Lth to cli.tiige. or to reform. â€"66 . . .l)ues the Women's Institute have a place in the future? Yes. I think it does. but we must be competitive and aggressive in a changing world. .. 9’â€" iollo“ ing it conference last year at GCIICHI Park. the theme of which was “Don Canada have it place in the future?". I listened to a radio sum- mary of that conference. In his sum- ITlLtt'}, Sheldon Tureotte said. in re spouse to the question. “Yes. but we must be competitive and aggressive in a changing world." I would like to put it iii another conteu. Does the \\ unit-it's Institute hzne a place iii the future‘.’ Yes. I think it does. but we mth be competitive and aggressive in a changing world. How many of us work in kitchens thut l1.t\e none of the amenities of the modern world? ‘v\'e want efficiency. we \ll'l‘H.’ to co-ordinate our work are-ax. we use new appliances that will siinplif) the task at hand, and shorten the preparation period of whatever we are doing. We are the benefactors of a competitive and aggressive in- dustrial socict). Belief is the basis of action! The provincial board and the executive of the Federated Women‘s Institutes of Ontario felt the time was ripe for a review of the structure of our orga- nliflllOl'l. The ad hoc committee that was given the mandate to make rec- ommendations has completed their job You will have had the oppor- tunity to study the recommendations. and i know that many of you have taken extra time to do this. i am pleased that you did. There was mixed reaction when we talked about change. 10 H E: C April. May. June 1986 Between the Lines “ Charlotte Johnson Many welcome it. but others are much more reserved. To some of us our branch is probably a haven in a fast changing world. But what chal- lenge does it hold for new members? What hope is there for growth? Rural women want an organization that will address current issues now. Are we publicizing our accomplish- ments. and making concerned women aware that we do address problems and issues that affect us. through resolutions. letters. briefs. Our strength in the public forum lies in the size of our organization, and we are viewed with respect in that forum. â€"“ . . . Why are new groups starting up? Is our organization too structured. or are we leaving time at our meetings to discuss the problems of the moment... 99â€"â€" Not too long ago I heard that the average age of farmers in Canada is 50. A more recent statistic is that one in every 11 farmers is a woman. and l in every 10 fishermen in Eastern Canada is a woman. What does that do to statistics in rural Canada? How many of our rural women are farm- ers? What problems do they eon- l'ront'? Is our organization a vehicle which will help them? Why are new groups starting up? Is our organizaâ€" tion too structured. or are we leaving time at our meetings to discuss the problems of the moment? Are we tied to procedure? What is the priority we set? Is it a strict adherence to the handbook, or are our priorities the needs of the women we serve. and the community around us. We must analyse before we act. Our family owns a retail business in Cochrane. Competitiveness is the name of the game in sales. Merchan- dising is a word used constantly at seminars and meetings. We must keep up with an ever-changing mar- ket. We stock that which will sell, that which the public requires and desires. and that which is current. Thirty odd years ago when we started. (following a farm bankrupt. cy. it isn't new. folks) chain saws pro- vided us with enough profit to make a good living. Woods operators de- pended on men cutting pulp and logs with chain saws. Every man was equipped with one. Today chain saws are a convenience tool for home owners with wood lots. and wood burning stoves. Timber operators use large tree cutting machines called clippers, and haul the tree lengths with timber jacks. Over the years we have diversified. selling snowmobiles when there was a rich market for them. People got off their snow- mobiles, and onto cross country skis. We changed as well. Today we sell the popular all terrain vehicle. the ATV’s. The market has changed. to survive. we must remain competitive. Machinery salesmen (trial with mer- chandising. The time of stocking binder canvasses, mower knives and blades. and tines for dump rakes has long passed. Farm machinery dealers too. have become very competent in diversifying. The sophisticated mar chinery on the farms today is a far cry from the machinery used 40 years ago. â€"“ , ...l donft think “team he total!) agriculturally oriented. A vast number of our members live in a non» rural setting. . . ' 9-9â€" To keep up with all of this, dealer-: have to be continually attending ser- vice schools. studying and reading so that they will be able to give service to their customers. What about this: merchandising and marketing. What about farm merchandising unmarked“. SUC- cess ful farmers meet the» demands of today’s marketero ‘ farmer con- tinue to producethatwhichdoes not reap a profit? Hesiitidiusshe market. either personally pricmough a marâ€" keting group, arid-.515 attofpmdme that which is enters