1928 - Annual Convention

              16 A L B E R T A W O M E N ' S I N S T I T U T ES
for the co- operation of every Institute from coast to coast, in an endeavor
to help lower the appallingly high maternal death rate i n Canada today.
Dr. Annie A. Dickson, of Truro, N . S . , was appointed convener of this
special maternity welfare committee. In a message sent out by her early
this year she says: " Educate the people to know the situation as it now
exists and to realize that this sacrifice of life is not necessary and to know
that pre- natal care is essential." To this she adds, " Solve the problem of
household help for the expectant mothers in your province." In connec­tion
with this last recommendation Dr. Dickson makes this comment: " This
problem will tax your mental resources to the utmost."
Our emergency home helpers' scheme was along this very line of en­deavor,
and I am sorry to report that owing to an insufficient number of
applications being sent i n the free t r a i n i n g course which was asked for, and
which the Departments of Health and A g r i c u l t u r e had signified their w i l l i n g ­ness
to put on, has had to be abandoned for this year.
The number of applicants ( three) did not j u s t i f y the necessary expendi­ture.
Another resolution passed at the federated convention was a recom­mendation
that the Women's Institutes of each province would support the
selection of a provincial flower, seeking the co- operation of the school
children m making such selection. Your advisory board discussed this matter
at their meeting in March, and asked the co- operation of the Departments of
Education and Agriculture i n getting a vote of the school children, with
the result that a ballot for this purpose w i l l be attached to the departmental
examination papers sent out i n June. The teacher is asked to take a vote of
the school and record the first and second choice of w i l d flower on this ballot
and return it to the Department of Education with the term report. The
w i l d flower receiving the greatest number of votes m the province w i l l be
selected.
F o r the third consecutive year, Alberta Women's Institutes sent an ex­hibit
to the C N . E . at Toronto. Last year's exhibit was under the convener-ship
of Mrs. Wm. Short, of Woodbend. Our thanks are due Mrs. Short, who
so capably represented us at Toronto; also to Mrs Rogers, Mrs. Smith, and
Miss Macmillan for assisting m convening the exhibit, to the Department
of Agriculture for financial assistance, and to the C. N. R. for free trans­portation
of material. In the matter of exhibits we branched out a bit
further last year, and the A l b e r t a Institutes sent then quota w i t h the Feder­ated
Women's Institutes of Canada exhibit to the handicraft fair of Women's
Institutes of England and Wales. Mrs. H . M . A i t k e n , of Beeton, Ont., had
charge of this exhibit. The purpose behind the exhibit was to help foster
a more sympathetic understanding between Canada and the Motherland. As
you are all aware, we are arranging to send an exhibit to the C . N . E . at
Toronto again this year. The Wetaskiwin G i l l s ' Club team and their super­visor
w i l l have charge of this year's exhibit.
A f f i l i a t i o n with the Alberta division of the Canadian Social Hygiene
Council was effected, and representatives appointed to both the Northern
and Southern divisions.
A sign of real progress was the holding of three district conferences this
year. Central D i s t r i c t No. 3 held a confeience for the f i r s t time i n several
years.
Splendid conferences were held i n Northern District No. 2 and Central
D i s t r i c t No. 3. These conferences were representative, were pervaded with
a spirit of enthusiasm, and proved a splendid help to constituency conveners.
Each of these conferences reflects a great deal of credit on its district
director, who arranged the conference, which is no light responsibility. With
the establishing of the three district conferences our organization is com­plete,
for the time being, as Northern District No. 1 is s t i l l too sparsely
settled to justify the holding of a district conference there. Thus we now
have a completed chain from branch institute to federated bumnel. But
because there is no district conference i n D i s t r i c t No. 1 that does not signify
that the work there is not growing or being well earned on.
Among my official duties for the year I had the privilege and pleasure
of attending, with Mrs. Boyd, the constituency conferences in this northern
district, generally known as the Peace River district. One is certainly i m ­pressed
by its magnitude, by its beauty and by its resources, both developed
and potential. At the time I was there, farmers were just s t a r t i n g to thresh