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The . President’s Corner Mrs. Harvey Noblitt, President the Feder- ated Women‘s Insti- tutes of Ontario, Driving home along a provincial highway a few nights ago. I was struck with the parallel between our system of roadways and the com- munications in our Women’s Institute organiâ€" zation. In the case of rural people the most numer- ous roads are those about our homes â€" our lanes, the paths to the barns. the garden and the fields. To each of us these are the most important. They carry the traffic that plays a part in conducting the daily affairs of the home: the business of making a living. of nur- turing and raising our children. of entertaining our friends. and of providing a beautiful set- ting for our daily lives. Here is the basis of society. Here the success of the home depends on the co-operation of each member with each shouldering his share of the responsibilities and each creating an image of that home. These might be likened to the channels of communications of the Branch. the most im- portant part of our organization where we work to carry out our aims and objectives as indicated in our Handbook. Here too. it takes the coâ€"opcration of each member to make a thriving. active Institute and each member re- flects an image of her Branch. When we have needs beyond the Branch we require a longer roadway and this is like the roadway leading from a home to the village â€"â€" our District Women's Institute. Here we can share our knowledge and experiences and pro- vide finances just as the farmer takes his pro- duce to the village. buys goods. gains from and contributes to the welfare of the village. Here much of the traffic halts and returns to its point of origin. Many things are not available in a village and so there are roads. often improved ones. that lead to towns. These provide a wider range of services where more people are in- volved and larger projects are carried out as in the Women's Institute Area. So there are the roads that lead to the super highways which take us to the centres of prO» vincial governments in cities â€" the provincial level of the Women‘s Institute where the fun, damental matters affecting all the member. are conducted. A road need be only good enough to hantl‘ the traffic in its particular locality, 0,. doesn’t need a controlled access highway v get to the village any more than one can c pect to move heavy traffic along a dirt run Of course inefficiency at each point Ly produce bottlenecks and slow the traffic. t. example, in our Branches each Convener Cm piles. from her notes. a comprehensive .‘tl concise report of all that has been done 11‘ learned in her convenership that year .I sends it on. in plenty of time to the DlSlIi Convener. Coâ€"operation here is vital to p vent bottlenecks that delay the work of 1‘ District Convener. She, in turn. must cho‘ what seems most important and valuable tn- the Branch reports and send her report. plenty of time to the Area Convener. and the poem is repeated to the Provincial let To provide the speediest and smoothest ti of traffic, only the most road-worthy VChlt: are best. So it is with our communications the most efficient personnel expedite math We need to be concerned and take great c. that we choose the best possible officers -. conveners for the tasks that are to be done we do this we can look forward to an efficr set of roadways over which the Women's 1‘ stitute traffic can glide with a minimum ot fort and a maximum of benefit to all. These are things we might all well keep mind as we approach the District Anw Meetings and Area Conventions. Very soon after this issue of Home Country comes 'off the press. about two h: dred members from Ontario will be travcll the road to attend the Federated Women's . stitute of Canada convention in Banff. berta. All of us there. by our actions. words, and co-operation will be COml'llt- eating the image of the Ontario Women‘s stitutes to others attending. We have a : tradition to uphold! Our delegates will hm responsibility when they return. of report fully to their Branches. Districts and Area. will not be sufficient to report that the (7 vention was enjoyed. and that Banff beautiful; or that you heard a fine talk. ‘- need to say why you enjoyed it. what beautiful about Banff and give the mew the speakers tried to convey. Similarly. in the business that comes out of the meeting. the important items should be reported. Then in 1974 the long road will lead Perth. Australia. to the top level of our org- ization and back again. Bernice Nobll HOME AND COLIN“