The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

my first message to you as a member of the new rganizations and Services Branch. Naturally. the staff orrner Home Economics Branch were, in some ways, 0 see the ending of the branch as it had existed for years, on March Blst of this year. However, we all _ e that there will be innumerable advantages of being . , uch larger branch, where many recent technological es, including electronic data processing, can be util- jd where a wider array of programs can be offered to _ 7: clients ' were particularly happy to learn that so many W.i. ‘es had written letters to the Minister and Deputy :er saying what good adult and 4â€"H Homemaking pro- we had delivered and how much they had been en- . It was very gratifying to all of the staff to know we - much line support across the province. The Minister ready assured you that we will continue to offer imag- 8 e programs, well-suited to our clients‘ needs. I e of the major tasks of our new branch is to educate if: people, especially the consumer, about the importance ntan'o agriculture. We have to make everyone aware - ’farmers have to sell their products at prices that enable to stay in, business. Since one in live jobs are directly directly related to agriculture and its allied industries, ulture has a big impact on Ontario's economy. Even, ‘ food prices increase, the producer doesn‘t necessarily it. A large proportion of the food dollar goes toward essing, packaging, transporting, advertising and retailing 70d. Unfortunately, the consumer doesn't always realize re the food dollar goes. n 1980 The Global 2000 Report to the President was ' t as ished in the US. it was projected that between the , *5 and 2000 period, real prices of food commodities - .4 id increase 21 percent under a low energy priCe assump- and 63 percent under a high energy price one. This means that the price of food would increase faster than that of other goods and services. In Canada it is predicted that retail food prices could increase between 8 and 24 percent, depending on the price of energy. A 10 percent increase in energy costs could cause a 0.6 percent increase in the price of food. it is, therefore, important for members of the W.I. to understand and take part in the producer-consumer dia- logue, as suggested by FWIC, whenever possible. i do hope that this will he a topic of study in each branch during the coming year. During Women's institute Week i had the pleasure to at- tend the Open House at the Hoodless Homestead and hear Mrs. Emmie Oddie speak. That evening i attended the an- nual meeting of the first W.I. branch, the Charter Branch of Stoney Creek, at the Erland Lee (Museum) Home. it was really good to see seventeen members in attendance, includ- ing a few women over ninety years of age. All members were very enthusiastic and participated in the proceedings. The branch still maintains a connection with several older members who are in ili‘healtli and confined to their own or residential homes. The Stoney Creek Branch have managed to attract some younger women to become members I hope that other, more physically active, branches are work- ing very hard to bring younger people into their groups and so realize your president’s wish, at least three new members per branch by l983. l was happy to meet several younger members, including a branch president, at the Hoodless Homestead. On August 12th 1 hope to join with you when you cele- brate the 85th Anniversary of the W1. at the Constellation Hotel in Toronto. To date, over 1450 tickets have been sold. 1 hope that everyone will have a good summer and return refreshed to very active W.I. work in the fail. WNW HALL OF FAME UNVEiLiNG _ ERLAND LEE (1864-1926) 0i United Empire Loyalisl slack, Erland Lee had a ropuialion as a good iarmer, and had a keen inter- est in the weliare oi his iellowmun. On the Lee inrm. he raised Jersey cattle. was one oi the firsl to grow grapes commercially. and he shipped carioads at R]. Greening: apples lrom his orchards to Ilse Brilish market He was one oi the first maple pro- ducers in the area to use an evaporator. He served many organizaliona: secretory oi his local Farmer's Institute [or 19 years, Towuhip Clerk ior 20 years. first president oi the Woolworth Seed Fair. president oi the Wentworlh Agricul- ture Board. and Secretary-Treasurer oi the Sall- ileet Agricullural Society. But it was his work with Mrs. Adelaide Hunter Headless to found the firm Women's Institute in the would that gained him most acclaim. The organization was his idea origin- ally; he convinced Mrs. Hoodleu ui ils merit and proceeded to develop the Constitution and By- Laws and carried oul the necessary negolinlions wilh Ihz Minister oi Agriculture Insecure theChar- tar. The Erlond Lee (Museum) Home is now an historic site al Sloney Creek, preserved and moinloined by the Federated Women's inatiluies oi Onlario in memory oi ils cariounder. Erland Lee.