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3.
constitution, and finally calling one or more general meetings for debating and adopting the constitution in its final form and for electing by secret ballot the new officers. After all that a formal Inauguration Ceremony was held at which the new Association was publicly launched.
.
The expenses of this
formal inauguration and of any dinner or tea which follow are, by the way, met entirely from the private pockets of some of the sponsors. The Association's own funds are strictly reserved for welfare work and approved administrative expenses in connection with welfare work.
10.
All this preparatory work made very great demands over periods of months on the time and personal service of the people who took part in it. I have had the honour of being invited by thirteen Kaifong Welfare Associations to sit in at a number of their preliminary meetings at a very large number in the earliest experimental days and I recall more than one which went on to nearly midnight. For nearly all of them the sponsors had to give up their evenings or substantial parts of their week-ends. I particularly remember one, attended by several prominent and wealthy gentlemen, which went on for nine hours one Saturday afternoon and evening although there was a big race meeting that day. (I am afraid I did not make the full grade as I had to leave after four hours for another engagement).
11.
Now all this discussion and planning is all very fine. But in fact what have these thirteen Kaifong Welfare Associations and two other very similar organisations in the city actually done in the way of practical work? It would hardly be fair, I think, to expect a very great deal as most of the Associations are even now little more than a year old. Nevertheless time does not allow me to give more than the following bare outline of their practical achievements Thirteen free evening schools for nearly 3,000 children: two domestic science classes and a women's needlework class: participation in an experimental youth survey; the raising and running of eight new divisions of the St. John Ambulance Brigade and the organisation of six more training classes; the enlistment of free help from over 140 western- trained doctors and Chinese herbalists for treatment of the sick poor; the financing of a new clinic for presentation to Government, and the running of another full scale clinic with four nurses assisting the doctor; the earmarking of considerable funds for further medical and public health work and for increasing anti-T.B. and anti-spitting propaganda; the organisation of old peoples' parties; the organisation of two general recreation grounds and a basket ball ground; the organisation of five basket ball and miniature football teams, of five physical education classes and a badminton team, and of variousimatches; the taking on of numerous local family and neighbourhood disputes or troubles; and the rendering of substantial assistance to the Commissioner of Registration in carrying out his work. Two Kaifong Welfare Associations have also reserved and paid for a number of beds in private maternity homes for poor mothers in their districts. Possibly the most spectacular of these new Kaifong's work has been after some of the big fires in the squatter areas during the last eighteen months, one of which resulted in over 20,000 persons being turned out of house and home. The Kaifong Welfare Associations not only subscribed extremely generously in cash and kind to help the victims, but the kaifong leaders also devoted a great deal of their time and gave endless personal service in organising emergency relief work and in planning and carrying through more constructive long-term rehabilitation. What is more they all gave outstanding examples of co-operation both amongst themselves and with other organisations.
12.
These Kaifong have also joined in propaganda to save water, to abate the nuisance of noisy mah-jongg players, to obey traffic regulations, and to observe fire precautions. At the same time they have made strong representations or requests to Government on such matters as street lighting, drainage, road repairs, public water supplies, traffic difficulties, public latrines, recreation grounds, markets, local postal services, public transport, tenancy disputes, hawkers, and D.D.T. spraying. In one case a Kaifong Welfare Association, having failed to get the street-lighting it considered its district needed, went ahead and installed its own temporary street-lighting system until such time as Government made the necessary provision.