1931 - Annual Convention

              S E V E N T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON 19
to be available for use by branch chairmen, on application. The advantage
of this plan appeared to be t w o - f o l d : Correct information would thus be
d i s t r i b u t e d and the work of the convener greatly reduced by eliminating a
large share of her personal correspondence.
F o r a number of years, as you know, it has been the practice of the
A l b e r t a Women's Institutes to send an exhibit to the Canadian National
E x h i b i t i o n in T o r o n t o . These exhibits have been of inestimable value to both
the province and our own organization, but the necessary expense in putting
this over has increased to an enormous amount. Other provinces also find the
d r a i n on their treasuries too great to be continued, so a new plan has been
evolved whereby the expense may be reduced m a t e r i a l l y and s t i l l not eliminate
the connection between the Women's Institutes and the C. N. E. The plan
favors one large display, w i t h each P r o v i n c i a l Women's Institute furnishing
, a portion. The small exhibit would not necessitate sending a supervisor and
would reduce the expense to a nominal sum. The Council unanimously sanc­tioned
this arrangement and allowed $ 50.00 to cover the cost of the A . W . I,
share of the exhibit.
The customary allowance of $ 150.00 for the expenses of the Supervisor of
the W . L G . C ' s . when in the discharge of her duties was allowed.
Inasmuch as the work assigned to conveners of standing committees in the
constituencies seems to overlap, c a u s i n g confusion and complaints, the C o u n c il
recommends that in future these conveners be eliminated and the branch
chairmen confer directly w i t h the P r o v i n c i a l Conveners.
As often occurs in " lean years" when money is hard to make and demands
more numerous than usual, some of our branches found it difficult, even i m ­possible,
to finance a delegate to this Convention. Then inquiries begin to
come to the Council concerning payment of provincial dues. A common
question reads like t h i s : " Are we obliged— or expected— to pay p r o v i n c i a l dues
if we do not send a delegate to convention and no r a i l w a y refund is c l a i m e d ?"
At first thought this appears to be a reasonable question, inasmuch as the
heaviest single item of the p r o v i n c i a l fund is used for the purpose of paying
the r a i l w a y fare of one delegate from each W . L to the Convention. But let
• us t h i n k again, as the second thought is always the best, and there appears a
l o n g list of other demands for not insignificant sums, by any manner of means.
A glance at the financial report of the Business Secretary- Treasurer will
v e r i f y this statement.
T h e r e are our yearly dues to the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada,
s t a t i o n e r y and p r i n t i n g , postage, office expenses, t r a v e l l i n g expenses, expenses
of District Directors, the President's grant, the grant to the Girls' Club and
innumerable incidental items, w h i c h during the year total an enormous amount.
Y e a r after year the finances of this o r g a n i z a t i o n are brought before the Con­vention
for discussion and you— the delegate body— in whose hands rests the
power to restrict or increase the expenditures of this organization, persistently
declare you cannot dispense w i t h one of these items; and neither can you
without detracting from the efficiency of this organization which has been
carefully builded year by year. Then when the most important question of
how to meet the accounts when payment is demanded, comes up for discus­sion,
you show your confidence in your officers by magnanimously leaving a ll
financial adjustments in the hands of the Council. We certainly revel in the
delicious brand of reliance you place in our judgment, but consistency is a
jewel.
I f we can not have a new suit this year we shorten the coat and lengthen
the skirt of the old suit " even as you and I," and feel quite dressed up i n it.