HOSPITAL CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 48, 26 February 1926, Page 8

HOSPITAL CONFERENCE.

CHRONIC INVALIDS. QUESTION OF PENSIONS. (By Telegraph.—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Thursday. The Hospital Boards' Conference was concluded to-day. The chief business was a discussion of remits and the following were carried:— "That the Government be asked to financially assist boards to return undesirable immigrants." "That the necessity of providing pensions for chronic invalids and their dependants be strongly urged on the Government." "That the Government be urged to provide an institution where deserting husbands could be employed on productive works and thus help to maintain their wives and families." "That in the interests of public health legislation be obtained requiring municipalities responsible for populations of 30,000 or over to prepare town planning schemes for presentation to the Ministry of Health by a date to be arranged, along the lines of the English Act." "That the Government regulations in regard to the inspection of dairies and dairy herds be revised and brought up-to-date and more rigidly enforced." "That the clause in the Municipal Corporations Act empowering municipalities to establish milk stations, etc., be reaffirmed." "That the words 'or probationers' be deleted from section 2 of the National Provident Fund Act, 1925, the reason being that the percentage of nurses who have served the probationary period and who remain in the service of hospital boards is comparatively small. It would, therefore, seem that registered nurses only should be eligible to join the scheme. This would also save a great deal of time wasted both by hospital boards and the National Provident Fund office in refunding premiums to those who have left the service."

"That the Nurses and Midwives' Registration Board be recommended to provide in the regulations made under authority of the Nurses and Midwives' Registration Act, 1925, that the future course of training for registered nurses shall be four years, of which three years be devoted as at present to general nursing; six months to maternity nursing; three months to child welfare (Karitane); and three months to mental hygiene."