26 BRITISH COLUMBIA 



MINUTES OF MEETINGS, ADVISORY BOARD OF WOMEN'S 



INSTITUTES. 



Department of Agriculture, B.C. 



Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.'C., August 5th to 7th. 

 Present the Hon. the Minister of Agriculture, the Superintendent 

 of Institutes, Mrs. Lipsett, Mrs. Kilby, Mrs. Watt (Secretary). 



The Minister was introduced by Mr. .Scott, who asked the Board to 

 take up at once with the Minister matters requiring his special attention, 

 as he would be unable to be present in the afternoon. 



Mrs. Watt then presented on behalf of the Board a number of reports 

 and other matters. A list of suggested speakers for Institute meeting* 

 was shown Mr. Ellison. He advised caution in the matter, especially in 

 dealing with local speakers, to exercise care in selection so that speakers 

 should not talk before Institutes in their own neighborhood unless asked. 



A list of matters which the Board was to take up at this session 

 was then given the Minister and he took up several of these and discussed 

 them fully. The first matter dealt with was the Federal Grant, a sum 

 of money given by the Dominion to the Provinces to assist agriculture. 

 The Board had earlier in the year recommended that a part of this grant 

 be asked for and the matter had been taken up both with the Minister 

 of Agriculture for the Dominion and the Minister of Agriculture for B.C. 

 The Superintendent had expressed his approval and the Board now wished 

 to see what could be done. The Minister expressed his sympathy with 

 the idea and Mr. Scott spoke in approval, pointing out that there was 

 no reason why a proportion of this grant should not be devoted to the 

 encouragement of women in agriculture. The Minister wished to know 

 what the Board would suggest how to use this part if it were given. Mrs. 

 Watt said that the idea which the Board had in mind was to establish 

 some form of Farm (Settlement, where women farmers could learn local 

 conditions before starting on farms of their own, and where they could 

 stay while they were looking out for land. It was felt that women farmers 

 would be a great asset to the Province and that it would be a good thing 

 to thus protect them on .arrival from loss of money in different ways. 



Mr. Scott stated that various enterprises which had the idea of such 

 settlement had been brought to his attention during the past year and 

 the co-operation of the Government seemed to be all that was lacking in 

 some instances. He cited the -Colonial Intelligence League and its pro- 

 posals. The matter was fully discussed with the Minister and this use 

 of part of the funds was endorsed by all. The Minister then asked the 

 Board to go into the question carefully and make a report to him. 



The next matter taken up was the holding of the flower shows by 

 the Institutes during the present year. The Minister was pleased that 

 the idea as promulgated by the Board had been so well taken up by 

 the Institutes, and inquired as to other features of the shows. Mrs. 

 Lipsett explained that in Summerland the occasion was made a display 

 of women's work of various sorts as well as of flowers, and she understood 



