Spreading the Light
| Date | 01 June 1956 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455055600800203 |
| Author | E. Phyllis Corner |
| Published date | 01 June 1956 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
SPREADING THE LIGHT
New and Old Tasks for the Association
The Chairman’s Address to the Annual Conference of N.A.P.O.
By MISS E. PHYLLIS CORNER, M.A.
[
The following address was delivered by Miss Phyllis
Association, so that precious time is not wasted in argu-
Corner, Chairman of the National Association of Probation
ment over procedure, at the same time safeguarding the
Officers, at the opening of the Forty-fourth Annual Con-
objects of the Association and the rights of its members.
ference at Colwyn Bay on 5th May 1956.
]
What then is our fundamental purpose in the Annual
General Meeting? What do we hope the Association will
IN MOMENTS of jaded disillusionment, we have most achieve with all the greater ease and speed, after revising
i-
of us felt at times that there is nothing new under the
the Constitution? What tasks await us all in the Association
sun. But I myself never experienced the full impact of this
at this particular stage of the development of the Probation
truism, in all its devastating force, until I came to prepare
Service?
this address. Moreover, I never imagined ever to regret the
vision and perspicacity of my predecessor in the Chair,
Perennial Tasks
until I came to think my thoughts for this occasion: when
Certain functions of the Association may perhaps be
a few ideas had crystallised in my mind, I then decided it
described as perennial. They may readily be discerned by
would be a good plan to read again the address Mr.
reading the Annual Reports, and they must always inevit-
Eshelby gave last year, and I found he had already voiced
ably take up a large amount of the Association’s working
what I had thought were my thoughts on probation, and
time. I will only instance here some of these functions
1 was indeed driven to the humbling conclusion that they
which are so familiar to us all: the representation, for
were not my own thoughts at all.
example, of the Association’s views to any Royal Comis-
In turning from this dilemma to consider the agenda for
sions or special committees whose enquiries cover subjects
this year’s Annual General Meeting, however, in view of
relevant to, or of concern to, the Probation Service; and
the fact that we shall be spending a great deal of time on
other examples which come to mind are the Association’s
our Constitution, it seemed a good plan to consider for a
work to improve salaries and conditions of service, and
few moments to what purpose all this labour is to be.
our efforts to encourage the idea and practice of probation
None of us, I am sure, would hold that a Constitution
in other countries. Many other such activities will occur to
is an end in itself. Indeed, all our British traditions give the
us all -
activities which for many years to come will be
lie to this view. It is, of course, the means to an end -
the
means of securing the smoothest possible working of the
(continued overleaf)
Colwyn Bay-continc~ed
motley variety, they reminded one irresistibly of those
caricature figures on a fairground booth, put up on pivots
seems just as proud as we are), he is still ahead of his
to be knocked down and set up again. But they stood their
times. He reminded us that exactly twenty years had passed
ordeal well, apart from an occasional coy diffidence in
since the 1936 Departmental Committee Report on our
defence as each question found its mark and each one had
Service and he thought the time had come for another such
a go. The boldness and vision of the statement on case-
enquiry to examine achievements and set the course for the
work supervision for which they were to account had left
future. Lord Feversham also had some very cogent obser-
most of us a little bewildered and breathless, a fact
vations to make on the subject of salaries; probation
revealed in a slip of the tongue by one questioner who
officers, he said, had longer hours of work than others,
wanted to know more about this &dquo;case work...
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