NBWTA Report 1904-043
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83 82 The National Executive Committee elected the following as the Organization Committee, the officers being ex-officio -—Miss Bertha Mason, Mrs. Toulmin, Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Boden, Mrs. Griffiths, and Mrs. Pearsall Smith. This Committee at its first meeting considered the work of the department of such vital importance that it resolved to recommend to the Executive that all members of the sub-committee be ex-officio members of the Organization Committee. Ten meetings have been held ; the attendances have been :—Lady Carlisle, 9 ; Mrs. Osborn, 7 ; Mrs. Clarkson, o ; Miss B. Mason, 5 ; Mrs. Reed, 7 ; Mrs. P. Smith, 5 ; Mrs. Price Hughes, 0; Mrs. Cros- field, 6 ; Mrs. Griffiths, 5 ; Mrs. Ward Poole, o; Mrs. Tomkinson, o ; Mrs. Boden, 3 ; Miss Agnes Slack, 6; Miss Gorham, 10; Miss A. Lile, 3 ; Miss Phillips, x ; Mrs. Toulmin, 4. For the first six montis the Association was without an organizer ; an advertisement was inserted in nine papers, and brought 23 replies, but none suitable. Miss Staveley, who had previously served the Association, was re- appointed for six months, but owing to a previous engagement was unable to take up the work until January. A circular letter sent to the County Unions resulted in the infor- mation that six had made organization of branches part of their work, three had engaged a salaried worker. The Committee, in response to an application from Leicestershire, sent an organizer to help the County Union for a fortnight in October, when two branches were formed, Miss Staveley has been working in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Shropshire. Her report to April 30th shows 48 places visited, 300 calls paid, 41 meetings held, 158 letters and 98 post cards written, 77 pledges taken, 211 new members gained, 4 new branches formed, existing branches strengthened, and much ground gone over, which it is hoped will result in Branches being organized later. Miss Jessie Johnson is working in Lancashire for two months under the auspices of the Lancashire County Union. Grants for organization work have been made to the Glamorgan, South London, Staffordshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire, Lancashire, East Anglian, Essex, and North Metropolitan Unions, a DEPARTMENT, also to the Y’s and the White Ribbon Bands. It has been resolved, ‘That no effort be made to organize Branches of the B.W.T.A. in places where the W.T.A.U. is already established.” “That twenty-five be adopted as the minimum membership where- with a Branch may be organized.” “That any organizer, in breaking new ground, be requested to inform the County Union Secretary if she sees a prospect of forming a Branch in any town or village in that county.” “That the Office Secretary be requested to communicate with mem- bers of the National Executive Committee in any county which the organizer is about to visit.” The necessity of keeping the taking of pledges in the forefront of the work has been urged by the President, and it was resolved ‘‘ That an effort be made to organize a series of pledge-taking missions wherever possible in the country.” Thirty-two senior and fifteen Y (total forty-seven) Branches have lapsed or withdrawn during the year, and forty-five senior and thirty- three Y (total 78) Branches have been formed. The Organization Committee would take this opportunity of thank- ing Miss Gertrude Lakin for the valuable help which she gave the Association in connection with the organizer’s visit to Worcestershire. Future Work.—Miss and in an the additional northern Staveley has been engaged organizer counties, for another year, in the person of Miss Sands, well known will take the field for six months from September. LOYAL In an old book troubles ae ORGANIZATION with weeds, TEMPERANCE on gardening slugs, and LEGION. the writer sorrowfully other disturbers tells of his of his demesne, and pathetically remarks :— “You can’t begin too early if you have a garden, for things appear to go on in the night uncommonly, and for some things it would be less trouble to stay up all the time.” This experience is not limited to gardening. As Temperance reformers we feel we cannot begin too early, or we may, like the old gardener, find many weeds to exterminate, and weeds he strongly objected to, as they had to be pulled up one by one. From the increase in correspondence during the past year the Superintendent finds that there are many openings for legions if only workers could be found, and though in several instances our methods have been successfully adopted, yet only one new company has been enrolled. Among the existing legions this has indeed been a year of change. In some places, like Canning Town, the members having reached the age when it was advisable that they should belong to an older company, a White Ribbon Band has been formed ; in other instances, like Black- heath and Hughes Field, they have been merged into other societies, local conditions making this necessary. The Superintendents’ reports are, on the whole, most satisfactory, and show steady progress, growing interest in the work, and increase of membership. ‘This is specially proved at Bradford, where it is now necessary to hold weekly meetings alternately for boys and girls, and where the leaders are hoping to organize a new company very soon. They have recently had a very successful sale of work, to provide funds to carry on their meetings. Alnwick also has weekly gatherings, but only gives the temperance lesson once a fortnight. |