MATERNITY WORK IN AUCKLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 282, 29 November 1938, Page 14

MATERNITY WORK IN AUCKLAND.

Resolutions Passed By National Council.

At a meeting of the Auckland branch nf ilio National Council of Women held last night the subject of the maternity facilities in the Auckland district wa<* <lisriisi»ed, The president MUs O. XI. Ileum*, presided at the meeting.

The discussion nro.*e as the result of a letter from Mrs. A. M. Hutchinson. secretary of the Auckland branch of t lie Society for the Protection of Women and Children, outlining briefly the propoanki of the Department of Health to rebuild St. Helens Hospital.

The fart tliitt pnnlic maternity ser- \ ice.--, in Auckliind compared unfavourably with those in other part* of the Dominion whs stressed by Mrs. Hutchin--iiit, who gave an address to the memIpci-. She quoted several districts in w liit'li them was no provision at all for maternity services, and stated also that in the Hospital Board area one bed wjii* provided for every 2000 persons.

The fact that the Health Department had planned to rebuild St. Helens Hospital was excellent, said Mrs. Hutchinson, but she expressed at the same time the hope that a more suitable site would be chosen for the new building.

In connection with the matter three resolutions wero passed unanimously by the members of the National Council present at the meeting last night. The first resolution congratulated the Minister of Health, the Hon. P. Fraser, on the Department's intentions to build a new and larger St. Helens Hospital in Auckland to serve the needs of the city and environments, and to be a complete obstetrical centre for the district.

The other resolutions were that the Auckland Hospital Board should be urged to fulfil its responsibilities by providing maternity services for the outer districts, and that the Minister of Health should be impressed with the necessity for building the new hospital on a more suitable site from the point of view of locality, and one which was not on a direct tram route. Plight of Refugee*. Other business of the evening included correspondence dealing with the decision of the Auckland branch of the League of Nations Union to hold a public meeting to arouse sympathy for the plight nf the political, racial and religious refugees, and to urge the Government to relax its restrictions so that some of these refugees might come to the Dominion. In the discussion dealing with this matter Miss Ellen Melville stated that New Zealand was one of the most prosperous countries in the world to-day and should therefore offer a little help, hospitality and financial assistance to the refugees. She also suggested that it would improve New Zealand very much to have a slight foreign admixture in the Dominion, as Xew Zealanders were very isolated and were inclined to become insular and restricted in their outlook. Another member, referring to the work to be found for refugees, pointed out the need for domestic ana farm workers in the Dominion, and said that two avenues of employment were already open to refugees. It wee unanimously agreed that the council should give its support to the forthcoming meeting and members were urged to attend. Th Government was urged, in another resolution passed, strictly to enforce the regulations stipulated in the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1008, and its amendments wit'i regard to the use of preservatives in food, and particularly in meat and fish.