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roan. 'Send "Thank You" (Continued from Page dol These have been put to good use in the Evacuation Camps. "We send our thanks and good wishes to the Canadian Women's Institute Greetings lrom Scotland: "The Scottish Women's institutes send their greetings to their sister In- s|it|iles' in Canada and {heir heart- telt thanks lor oil the sympathy and help they have sent us during ihc war. lay the lricndship and goodwill link Women's Institute ~ throughout the world be a solid foundation tor ih: interna- Liolilil undcrslnlllling which is so essentihl il peace is to be preserved and men and women freed once more to pursue tli 'r work for the good of humanity." Then there tollows the list of gills from Canadian Insiitutes: "Gifts san by Canadian Wa-- men's Institutes during the war . years 1939--1944 in England and Wnles~ gill. llnnd smiling canning machines and thousands of packets ot vegetable seeds and tomato seeds have been sent Irom the Wo-- men's institutes ot Ontario, l The War Disirew Fund was in-- augurated by the Women's Instit- utes or New brunswick in May 1941 with a glfL at 270 pounds The Women's Institutes or British Col- umbia. the Women's Institutes of / Ontario and Alberta, the Mille lIslcs Women's Institutes oi Que- 'hec, have all contributed and by December 31. 19-14, boa pounds had been sent by the Women's Instits utcs ot Canada. "Other gins too many to enum- emte have been received by indivi-- . dual institute members. 01 all the Allow is a group Guelph, while M so Elizabeth Cl Women's Institutes for thc picture are. the Ioliowing: F IIoiick, Brampton, am: chairmen, Collins, Women's- Institutes. Brunch; . Mrs. M. McIntyre "00d. Tornnln. ure tnh'en at the Ontario Agricultural College, Irlhtmu, [:cnenl organizer ol nglond and Wales, was visiting there. In rout, right to lei Mrs. J. E. Women-s Institutes Miss Edith s Elizabeth Christmas and Back row: M. McIntyre Hood, Ontario Dcnnrtmcnrnf Agriculture: Prof. \V. H. Sprollle, (LAC. gins none have been more wel- come than the thousands of pac- kets of seeds of vegetables and tomatoes, sent regularly every spring for the past four years by the Women's Institutes of Ontario. They have been distributed to every county and have lound their way into thousands of villages. "A new alas has been added to the schedules oI village (lower and vegetable shows: The best collec-- tion of vegetables grown from Canadian Gilt Seeds. It has been a popular clhfi. with amazingly good entries, for Canadian seeds have tuken kindly to British sail, especially tomatoes, leeks, carrots. lettuce and cabbage. "The hand scaling machines sent by the Federated Women's Instit- utes oi Ontario have been used particularly in- Warwickshire. ilertfordshire and Kent. Fresenu ing oi the surplus fruit. crop has been the Institutes wartime job. anti these Iruit growing counties were most graielulior the canning machines which helped them to deal eifectively with many hun. dreds ot pounds of plums. "At the Women-s institute Guild Rally held in York in 1943 and 1944, members sent tomatoes and vegetables grown from Canadian sced; honey, bottled Iruit, apples, homemade cakes and other pro- duce from their homes and gardens to a gilt stall. These gifts were given to Canadian soldiers. "The thousands oi Institute members and their tamilies who have benelited from the products of the canning machinos and the seeds will always remember the practical" generosity of the women of Ontario. A Her Majesty the Queen has shit The seeds have indeed been seeds oi iriendship which will lion-er tor many a long year." Help given through thc War Dis- tre Fund--vThe money sent so gt'nerously by Canadian-Women's members in Engiii'nd and Wales who have suffered through bomb- ing has been dist ibuth in the £01-- lowing couhiiss- Cheshire. Devon, Essex. Glamoigan. Hertlordshirc, Suilolk, ltent, Nor-thumberiand, and Surrey. "The members who have re» ceived grants all write of their deep gratitude, not only {or the praclical value oi the gill. but for the thought and sympathy which prompted it." There [allow Ii number of inter- esting letters irom those members. Mi Moiiut or Porteyllanm, C121» -morgan. writ -- "The generous gift Irom Canada not only helped me financially, but comforted mc th in wider realization of Hit: real "sisterhood" oi Women's In- stitutes. The president o! Brook- lnnd. W,1, East Kent vi "The Christmas present lroni A_lberto arrived when we were starting an institute library. It was unanim- Ously decided to buy books about Canada which will bear on inscrip- tion so that tuture members as well as we, will remember [he kindness QiAlberta ' Institute members to help lhose' Iwums' and Dr. G. L Christie, president, 0.11.0. is headed "Canadian Hospi- "We want to tell you or our deep gratitude ior all that you have done for us in these years or war, "We should like especially to thank' you tor your goodness to your war guests troin Britain ---- our children. They will always love Canada, and not only remem- ber the beauty or your great land, but the warmth oi your welcome when they came to you, and your constant kindness in ways large and sihall. "The young is en to whom you have also g' en so great a welcome, write letters home speaking or their happiness with you and tell us how much you have made them iecl as it they belonged to Canada. Wherever they are they will always remem- ber you and thank you." Signed Susan Twecdsmuir, president, Ox- rordshire Federation of Women's Institutes." Letter Friends Under uLetter Friends' there is the following: "Canadn, among the Dominions, has the greatest number or letter lricn s with institute members in Britain. Er i Columbia has 110: Dman , 9 Quebec, 85; Manitoba. 53; Sash. tchewan, 40: New Bruns- wick, 15; Novii Scotia, 9: Alberta <1 and Prince Edward Island. making a total of 422 friendships in all. There are many Institute links as well. Many an Institute ineeiing'iias listened enthralled to stories or lite on the prairies, tn the Maritime provinces, or beyond the Rockies, and stories oi lizc among rationing and bombs havc found their way to Canadian Ine stituiasi Out at these letters have grown permanent friendships. Soldier sons and husbands smll'lis' overseas have spent their leave with Institute (hands and many exchange visits are being planned ior alter the war. "Canadian members- may be in- terested to know soinolhillg oi the work of Women's Institutes 3h England and Wales- during the war. To harassed housewives tho institute meeting has been n rec in n shitting world. One Women's Institute president wrote: 'We had 17 bombs on this vii. lags during the flying bomb al- tack last autumn as well as bomir lug earlier in the war. Our meet ing place was damaged more than once, but We have not missed u cammitlct- or a monthly meeting since the war started, and Wo- men's Institute friends in Canada will know what u help this has been to those members who have been tied to their honics.' "In the sole areas rural house- wives hnvc cared for mothers and children evacuated irbni the bombed cities. At the request ""3 Ministry oi I'ood. Women's Institutes have set up preserva. tion centres on over the country \vherethe surplus iriiit crop could mm . nip mil: Y '9 . a 0].] (Cmitinued Iron. yuge m CSElVed cosaperu the five years that thc'oolifgie h: been working these centres have made 5,400 tons of preserves at which 4,000 tons have been jam "Thousands or members hove joined the Produce Guild to im- prove their techhicol skill in gardening, cookery and in the core of livestock. Opposite the beautifully illus- lruted and colored Page Entitled Medicinal Herbs is the statement: "Hundreds o1 tons or herbs have been collected by the Women's In~ sututes members for medicinal purposes. "The special meat pies allowed to rural workers to augment their meat ration have in many places been distributed by w, I. members and in some cases have been made by them. "Wamen's Institute members now run 300 market stalls on the co-operative basis for sale or pro-- duce. "Because the basketry trade has been unable to satist the de- mand, centres have been set up to make baskets in which to gather the potato crop. Women's Insti- lute members have made more than 2,000 large potato baskets at these centres "In peacetime the Women's In- stitutes were noted for their handicrait sltlll and they have turned this to good use during the war, They have supplied teachers and organized classes tor the 'Make Do and Mend Campaign: Aid to Russia was given by lining 2071 gar-merits with lur, otten lrom rabbis reared by members for the purpose. ."Thc luxury crafts of quilting, linen embroidery, art, have given way during the war to ThriIt Crait's which eke out the clothing coupons. Some members regularly teach handicrafts in hospitals to the wounded and sick and others have prepared work which has been sent by the Red Crag to prisoners of war to relieve the boredom of Captivity. "since August 1944 Women's Institute members in addition to the knitting they are doing Ior the Services. have undertaken knitting for liberated Europe. _ ive tons of wool a month is being knitted into children's gar-- ments and thousands have already been dcspatched, Letters from soldiers serving in the liberated countries tell how thankluuy these are being received "Tile Institute magazine, Home and Countiy, has recorded many other activities, particularly War Savings Groups, help in canteens for thc Forces. and Music and Drama Festivals which have been carried on in a limited iorm dur-- ing the war for me comlort and pleasure of Women's in iiuie members, the Fumes ulld the general public. Side by side with this work. Institute members have been discussing the problems 01 reconstruction in the countryside, They have given evi ~ encc _io government committees on Housing, Planning, and Education. They have been invited to give' evidence to the Royal Commission on {Equal Pay Ior Equal Worln :I'lIEIl' survey showing the villages in need or an adequate water sup- ply and drainage system. received great publicity in the Frets and in Parliament "Residential Schools have been held at which Institute members from all over the country have discussed Social Insurance. 'the Education Bill, and the need for international co-opcratlon. In- struction has also been given in local government, public speaking and discussion group leadership. "The 24th animal general meet~ ing of the National Federaiion of Womcn's Institutes was held in Royal Albert Hall, London. on June 8,1943. It was me first annual gen. eroi meeting of the war. Institute members felt richly reuarded (or all their eiiorts when they were honored by the presence at Her Majesty the Queen. the President of Snndringhnm Wom ' Ins tuies in the County or 8011i: