CHILD LIFE PRESERVATION.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 11945, 14 July 1904, Page 5

CHILD LIFE PRESERVATION.

PUBLIC MEETING IN CHBIST- ! CHURCH. ; A publio meeting, called _▼ tha Children's Aid Society to cor-Mer the Pre■uer's proposals for prescrratiott of child life, was held in the Alexandra Hall last night. The Mayor of Christch_rdli (Mr 0. M. Gray) ana in the chair, and thsrre was a fair attendance. . The Rev. T. Tait said that in proportwi to the population of Caristchurch po-erty seemed to be very much leas than in Melbourne. Poverty, however, did «_£** here, and the work of the .Children's Aid Society was undoubtedly needed. He moved, "That mis meeting feel* that the present condition of child life in Jfe - * Zealand demands immediate and. serious attention, and, without com__ttin|f itself to; jail Mr Seddon's proposals, dewrea to retjord ra deep sense of gratitude to him for hi* memorandum on the subject." All right minded citiaens recognised the service Mr Seddon had done in. hringiair forward his memorandum. The Premier had bnised his proposals upon three grounds,' the humane, the economic, and the State. The State had three things to fear in the ooujrounity, vice, ignorance, and poverty, ans throe sets of laws recognised those three nwwt conspicuous menaces to the community, and it was upon such lines that Mr Seddon's recommendations went. The working capital of any State mm its citisens, end the more the citieens tire bettor, provided they were without vice. Any trend of legislation that could safeguard the lives born into the community was deserving of hearty support on economic grounds alone. The State for the past ten years had been losing infant lives at the rato of 2000 per annum> and, although a certain proportion of such lives could not have been, saved, there must have been a large number (sacrificed through causes distinctly preventible. He did not think legislation could help the people very much in the matter of the increase of the birth rate in a community. In an indirect way, suoh as by giving iie4p to all Ministries that tended to uplift tbe people, some good would be done by legislation, and for that reason he believed that the Bible in schools proposal should be adopted. Poverty, as it affected the birth question, was a very important matter, and Mr Seddon had dealt with it partially in his Midwives .Bill. Clause 4of the Bill related to the registration of mklwivesv He did not think the clause was altogether satisfactory, for ho considered that no person should be registered until ahe had received a certificate from one or two medical men as to ability aud character. Section 5 of the Bill provided for the training of midwives at State maternity homes. It had been recommended to tlie Government to add wings to the existing hospitals for the purpose of maternity hospitals. He would be inclined to urge that district detached maternity hospitals should be built. It waa necessary that registered midwives should have an up-to-date knowledge of the subject. He considered it desirable that in certain cases provision should be mad* by the Government for pay* ■ ing a doctor called in at a critical time during child birth. Nurse Maude, who seconded the motion, said it.was perfectly right that midwives should be registered. The only way by which the present women practising midwifery could obtain a certificate ahouU ba by examination.' Maternity ; hospitals should be established in .New Zealand, for at it was, rraraeu desiring rntterrflty experience had to g«; elsewhere for their training. Tbe district taursmg of Ohrwtohurch was not carried oji by any religious body; it was simply district work carried on by the public itself. Last year 6000 cum wars attended jby three. nurses, and that showed that ihe nursing was not denominational. Directly a Stat* nursing system waa adopted, district noteiwg would be rained. In Sydney,' State nursing was found to be a. failure. ABuwesaftil nurse must bo one, .wjljli a- mis-' eicn, and she most not be jtisfc a State nurse working:for a certain «t&ry. If the Government would trtxbsidiae collected by the public, double itic number, of nurses could be employed,, arid ihe rrur*rag could be speotaJiwd; rpropM%< done. In addition, tlie doctors -would have a little more help than they hadlat present. District nurses could do a great deal in the direction of teaching mothere how to feed their children. She trusted she 1 would never see the day when 'ths nursing would he taken over by the State. It would be a boon io a number of married women if they could be taken into a maternity hospital during child birth. Tile mothers of illegitimate children were taken into homes at such times, and it seemed wrong that * married woman should be treated worse than thlS*~ mother of an. illegitimate . child. H such a rrmtwroity home were established, it would provide a place where pimtm could be trained.' At the present the nurses were simply cvuddHng along, and mother*' lives were continually being risked. The Cfialrroan read on extract from » .London paper which contained, a description of what was done ia tlie board schools in tlie way of teeching girls how to treat _ baby. Tbe motion was then" put'and. carried unanimously. The Rev.' A. C. Hoggins read a letter from Sister: France* Torlcsse, ia which the writer said that if the principles underlying the Premier's proposal* ware ear-" amined, it would be found thai they all tended towards tbe extinction of parental responsibility. The child waa regarded aa an asset of the State, vad the centre of gravity of society waa being gradually shifted from tho family to the State. It was not for he? to say whether that waa right or wrong, but she wanted the matter well considered. Obntinninff, Mr Hoggins said the Children's AH Societyhad taken up the fluestion of parental responsjfcility, and had appointed a Committee to go into tho matter and report. He had always felt the importance of training tarente, and the teaching of physiology and pirychology should bo two of the moat important eubjects in the school curricula. Some nine months ago a deputation, from the Children's Aid Society placed before tlie Premier a number of proposals which practically covered ih» whole question, of the. preservation of child life. He moved, "That the vaxioua Acts of the New Zealand - legislature dealing with orphan, criminal, and other children dependent upon publio aid require revision and consolidation on the lines ao long urged by the Children's Aid Society." He was pleased to ace that the Government were trying to carry out the absolute separation of the reformatory ami the industrial school. Special provision should be made for defective children, aad for those ~ who*© only offence waa orphanage and poverty. Ihe majority of the defective children could, by proper treatment, be turned into good and useful citizens. The treatment of orphan children by the State should be made a pattenl to be followed by parents in treating their own children. The Society proposed that all the different Acta relating to. orphan children should be administered by local Boards of Control, with, a central board at Wellington. The board-ing-out system of dealing with infante was adopted in New Zealand, but in the majority of cases the children bad been taken simply for the money the foster parents received with them. The Society proposed that cottage homes should be established for tbe orphan children. Skirtr Edith, who eeconded tlie motion, proposed by Mr Hoggin*, said that people seemed to think thai the State wse gang to do everything for them, and that was a matter that should be thought about. She thoroughly appreciated the effort* that were being made to save and-educate the children in the best way possible, but one viewed with great doubt every act which tended in the direction of taking away the responsibility pf parents. - She beUetedhereolf there was a deep principle underlying the independence of authority; parents were becoming to a great extent indepen-. dent of their children, and tlie children independent of the' parents, and filial ties and parental responaibiHty were simply breaking down. Parents should be made

to : ahow very g^ talr*.-cure Vo^tKei*;^^ If the:State'took^dM^W-^ielpM^i^Sl should see .that ; %f.iil*|rt, teNil^ the;.▼**•/. w**;,«*#*^i|t^^ had i"'" - '• > "'^r' i iVi^;'Wi'jit.V'a : fi^ilMl';'",',''t'nt'-wflll hospital was, and what he ___aav__a^'w^'> l MS H ■*7 ■ .- *' ™'* — • ~"a -- *w ■ aarw-; ■ l * ,l,—i 'Hße>.iWßw,*W^;fl , .'.'j'"_*¥''w^ chMren.'hc*rptti-: ; ''llr'ifl^^ possibly thitfk that New _eela_d'w*s to* Win be ranked 'with Paris'or J^ndc« v i„'Jti : »^%!^ for afouadli_g;ho*piti„v.'^ 'the;Children 1 * Aid,; bc^ktyCwii^^le^ll^lMll lose an opportunity of a|rU«tißg-'te-i»npgrt'^.^ 1 ;-^Si of the proposal to allow the;'taltiMSo?pl^#3feMii dren's •evidence iv a mp^->li^i<'im&i*sWsM preferably befew irooien.""'' v '*. ; v; ; '4 v Uo:ifV^fM Mm Lodge said that be done in the way of looking after «*^; ; : V^;'! leer ohUdrem.; : -..-The-; going.from house to bA_rt''ln• CJirmnrtarffa"; il '^ "■!' 3m •elling drogg, to bo ture_.^for : abortion, she added, should be put a'stop.*©.''::. .^ait^' ll '"'::*^™ .The motion waa then <*rried, ; '' : ' ::^fe . "■The Rev. R. Ready aaid thati the uquc* r^% : sfl traffic was of the base of the trouble.' If the.:pre_^\'liire properiy *dmm*rter^liatf-.;.0f and .degradation they ■■. were d*pkring -MmJ\ ; v!i- '%W& night'would be abolished.'■■ ' Every institution in which chfldrert :i-wt*f:' : boarded should he subject to OoYeMwktit' /'y'J&lfaj iwrjectioft,. Tl» proseot syatem tf'&ofr*yiV-'4' : -r&<s& ing adoption, after • the paymcc* o< pi_a_um encouraged . a class ; df-vfpaaa»»'.".' ! .■•-.-•■ known in France as "oogel,.t3»ahers. , ' v: H«.''', 7 .';;i'i thought the Prennk__'proposal'. that - ':imiij?K'.\s'±sjj& olißd ehould be of age was too stringent.' The' Jianit should :'''- : %W bo ■ made five ycara. ;fle. iaoverW'THat ':y.- '■-' '1M& Government inspcrtiori thould i».«xt«ded-;v7'' ;; -'' ;, C?pJi to oil private institutione having (Jw> oare '■' ; " ; /■; of difldren, and it is deferable that liow : - : 'r ;^; !:«SS stringent regulationa should be : tot_iyat«d.- ; ; in respeck of illegitimacy end .tha iwlop- ';. tion c-f children." .' .......■;;.• i;." -.j'v'i'vf^ Mrs Wißiamson, who- aerxmd«d ; motion, said- that 'the,real: Premier's proposals belonged •:--.-'.''- ; .th0.> ,, t»- :- women of this ooloay. There waa urgent'need for a home'for ;i_egHi__ia; ;f ch-drea, for at present no such iated, end a girl had to pay, as A'ip_a,';'ri'' ; 10s weekly for-the-support of. : Every girl should -be eqwpped; :with;.» imowledge of her,own bei_g,-. U tb»-.Bta»»''''.;;' v V'% ; S would undertake ' the matter ''of with the children, overlapping by diffeiwvtV.^. : bodies would be prevented. Tha.l«oi'ol.tte > State'taking up the work,woidd-not ; aJSijfs Tent the womon"continui«f terest in'it.-. Tlw'one dfit^- : tion wkh the' State system was suitable.- peraons' miglit....ha;:.'p^f^ed;^'--Bi'lSj into poritaoM. ' ■'•',•, ■■■.'-y:-.l;y ■■\-:^ ; ii-.^^fAm The motion waa'.adopted.;;....,-, ;/ i: y. ;■ H^: y ly.y-..- ''<Mm ■ The' Rev.' I.' "That the Premier bo reapec-^re^ia|t«4%^ ; to jntw-ooe a Bil!,:mbod]rW'f.U^':.a^'t , gestdonev ■ made .by: SxKaety." -Thsa wm ■ McCombsand carried. ■ > \r?''. i^'- I i. n: ,«^^v^t4H Votea of thiu_u'v.irere'ia_^, f CShaldrenis)JJd Society,-and .to"; Mia ; and the meeting oloeed. ; ;- y^^y^y^^l^^m