Colter, took the first opportunity' presented to her and returned from Hongkong, and during the latter halt of October more and more British women returned to Shanghai. During her stay in Hongkong, Mrs. Colter, helped in the camps' which were formed there for refugees from Shanghai. She was able to be of considerable help to the Refugee! Commitice in registering those who were obliged to remain in the camps, and to the welfare committee.
"work and More Work"
Mrs. Whitney added: "The keynote the Association since the commencement of the undeclared Sino~ japanese war has been work and more work, with, in the face of the heed around us,'no heart for play. The capacity for work shown by the Astociation has been admirable.
With the return of most of our mem-hers in November, working parties were formed, by the Gardening Section and the Needlecraft Section, addition to those already functioning under the Hospital Aid Department. Maay articles have been made fand distributed for, needy persons, foreign and Chinese.
"The speaker then went on to des-cribo in detail activities during tne year, relations of the B.W.A. with other community associations _and other spheres of work making special mention of the fact that since December the Joint Committee mem. bers have been studying food prob-Jems and various aspects of relict work, notably that carried out by the Shanghai International Red Cross for} whom Mrs. Whitney made the appeal to members to familiarize themselves with the problems handled by this body.
connection with the Social Service Board, Mrs, Whitney said. its existence had been of great assistance to the authorities, and also to the British Fund for' Relief in China. 'This fund, though primarily created to assist destitute Chinese, had to consider additional needs' among! British hospitals in China and Bute Ish and international sufferers and the committee formed in Shanghai was making special efforts through British national societies to help} British cases of distress through the hostilities, Mrs. Whitney said, add-Ing: "Destitute eases have been and fare being help by the fund, as the report of the Social Service Board will testify, Tam not now speaking! for this ¢iass, who, we think, are being fully cared for, but of an entirely different class—I refer to the type of person who would not himself care to make his need known, and T would ask that any person here who has knowledge of British people in distress as a result of the recent upheaval should make this Khown to us. The distributors the fund are anxious that such cases jonid not remain unassisted, and it ig important to remember that help given now will probably be more useful than the same help later on."
More Members Need regard to membership, Mrs. Whitney said the number up-to-date was 770 Shanghai members and 210) outport members but the need for increased membership was greater now than ever Lefore owing to loss of so many old members as a result of conditions. She added that the majority of the new members were present at the meeting.
Mrs. Whitney proceeded to give a short summary of section reports and ended her speech on a ringing note for thanking individually Mrs. J.
W, Brooke and Mrs. J. C. Wynnes. "It has been my privilege." she said, "to work for the Association ud T have had the happiness of working with a splendid band of} helpers, As a last word, T would] say' to you all—Don't be' depressed by circumstances as they appear at present. Shanghai resembles the! phoenix in its power of rising from own ashes. It has done it before and it will do it again, You are living among a people whose capacity for making something out of almost nothing has been demonstrated over thousands of years. This and Shanghai's geographical position will} always ensure for it a unique place among the world's great ports. The Association, itself, has risen to this cession magnificently; may it continue to minister to our own people
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.