The Story of the Alberta Women's Institute

              THE

STORY

OF

THE

ALBERTA

WOMEN'S

INSTiTUTES

work, after some years of extension work at Columbia and Cornell Universities, U.S.A. A new Women's Institute Act was passed and the Women's Institute as a branch of the Department of Agriculture was no more. Miss Jessie MacMillan was appointed Director of Women's Extension Service. Her position was a very difficult one but at all times she was.. courteous, kindly, and obliging, counting no effort too great if by it she could serve the women. When she retired on account of ill health in 1929 she left many warm friends among the W.I. women as well as among the other women's organizations she tried to serve The loss of experienced superintendents was a hard blow but more was to follow. Shortly before the 1922 convention the announCEment was made that henceforth the government would not pay the railway fare of official delegates from the branches to the annual convention. A committee interviewed the Minister pointing out hov, seriously this decision would affect the convention so close at hand. The res11lt was that for some time the expenses of the Advisory . Board to the convention were paid and a conveIltion hall provided. Provincial Fund Arranged at 1922 Convention To meet these neVi financial conditions, new regulations regarding the Provincial W.I. Fund were made. As so many institutes were so far removed from a convention centre that the price of the railway fare would prohibit them from ever sending a delegate, it was decidecl to raise a fund sufficiently large to take care of this expense as well as the administration expenses that now fell to the lot of the A.W.L Consequently at the 1922 convention a resolution was passed providing that the Provincial Fund be raised by a levy on each branch at the rate of fifty cents per member, this to be raised by whatever means the branch might decide and to be reckoned on the paid up membership at the end of each year. It must be remembered that fot some years there was a generous vote for women's work made by the government and that the A.W.I. shared in the benefits until 1928. when the Alberta Women's Home Bureau Act was passed. The year 1922 saw the revival of the printing of the convention report in book form which included the report of the Girls' Clubs as \veIl. The cost was borne by the government. In this book. conveners of standing committees were given an opportunity to present their reports and future plans. It tOQk a stalwart woman to take over the presidency at that time and strong women have been needed ever since. In 1922 :VII's. J. l\. Beaubier succeeded Miss Isabel Noble who became supervisor of the Girls' Clubs. It was an anxious time through which Mrs. Beaubier and her successor.s passed. With almost nothing in the treasury. vvith no reg~la~ sUI;Jenntendent and with further withdrawals of government aId Immment, the road was a difficult one. Only the courage and p~rs;rveranc~ of th.e. women ma?e it possible to carryon. Mrs. Beaubler s executIve abIlIty and busmess acumen was taxed to the
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