1930 - Annual Convention Report

              S I X T E E N T H A N N U A L C O N V E N T I ON 43
by the marriage taking the nationality of the husband. It is also true th^ t
by the laws of France, Belgium. Denmark and other European countries a
woman on marriage keeps her original nationality unless she automatically
acquires the nationality of the husband.
So that abundant opportunities are afforded for the confusion of the
national status of a married woman here in Alberta where there are nationals
from almost every European country who may marry nationals of other
countries than their own.
As to children, while most countries regard those who are born in foreign
parts as automatically acquiring the nationality of their parents. English law-is
disposed to hold children born within the British Empire as British sub­jects
until they have exercised their election to make a declaration to the
contrary when they come of age. So here the confusion of double nationality
occurs until such declaration is made.
A solution of these two problems alone will demonstrate the usefulness
of The Hague Conference. I believe.
In my report at our Convention last year I referred to the fact that the
question of the eligibility of women for appointment as members of the
Canadian Senate was before the Privy Council. Since then their Lordships
have handed down their decision by which women are eligible for that high
office in Canada. Already the first woman Senator has been appointed.
In keeping with this decision, our Provincial Legislature at its session
this spring, passed the Sex Disqualification ( Removal) Act by which a person
shall not be disqualified by sex or marriage from the exercise of any public
function or from being appointed to or holding any civil or judicial office or
post, or from entering or assuming or c a r r y i n g on any civil profession or
vocation or from admission to any incorporated society.
In answer to a request from the Alberta Women's Institutes the Depart­ment
of Education had a vote taken in all the schools of the Province to
discover the native flower most popular among the students in order that it
should be made the floral emblem of the Province. As the W i l d Rose was
the choice of the great majority of the students, it was made our provincial
floral emblem by statute this spring.
W i t h the problem of the return of our natural resources from the Do­minion
to the Province, we are entering into a new sphere of activity in the
administration of these resources. Our Provincial governing body will be
faced with many perplexing problems in setting up the required machinery
for the smooth working of the new departments which will be necessary to
take care of this work. Let us as women study these problems carefully in
order that we may be ready to offer suggestions which may be of value, not
merely criticize what is being done.
D u r i n g the last few months the eyes of the public have been directed to
the methods of business adopted by many ' brokers in stocks of various kinds.
Some of these methods have been shown to border on the unscrupulous and
many people have suffered financial loss through them. In order to protect
the public from a recurrence of this condition our Legislature passed the
Security Frauds Prevention Act, which provides for proper registration of
persons who trade in securities: for a proper audit being taken of every
broker's business in the Province each year, and regulating the method of
trading between broker and customer.
Before closing this report I wish to thank all those Institute members
who have taken such an active interest in the work of this Committee and