HEALTH STAMP CAMPAIGN

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27472, 5 October 1954, Page 12

HEALTH STAMP CAMPAIGN

Sales Exceed £lO,OOO In District FUNCTION AT GLENELG Health stamps valued at £10,678 10s ,3d were sold in the Christchurch Postal district on the first day of the 1953-54 health stamp campaign. This : was £855 17s 8d more than the result , of first-day sales last year. The district extends from Kaikoura to Hinds and in the west to Arthur’s Pass. Sales at the Chief Post Office in Christchurch and suburban offices totalled £7460 19s Id, which was £123 17s 3d better than on the first day a year ago, and the proceeds of sales in the remainder of the district amounted to £3,217 11s 2d. The first-day proceeds included the sale of stamps to meet advance orders made mainly by business firms for stamps valued at £5041—;£784 more than advance orders placed for the last campaign. At the Chief Post Office in Cathedral square and the suburban offices there were special booths operating yesterday to facilitate the sale of the new stamps. Women members of the Travel Club staffed a booth in the posting box vestibule of the post office in the Square and other voluntary helpers sold stamps at suburban offices. To foster interest in the campaign, moving pictures were shown from a health education van of the Health Department which was parked in the centre of the Square. Stamp sellers had a table nearby. There was another stamp-selling booth at the entrance to the commercial broadcasting station 3ZB. A post office was also operating at Glenelg Health Camp yesterday. Established primarily for the sale of stamps, it was also able to undertake all types of post office business. The campaign was officially opened at a function at Glenelg. Dr. D. P. Kennedy, Medical Officer of Health and chairman of the Christchurch Central Council of the King George V Memorial Children’s Health Camps Federation, said that children’s health camps, first organised in 1919 and now able to accommodate 2500 children each year, were an integral part of New Zealand public health "services. Functions of Camps “Health camps are not holiday camps but a happy name for what might be called ‘physical development centres’,” said Dr. Kennedy. “In fact, that is exactly the name the British Army uses for centres which do a similar job for selected recruits. “The camps work on a principle that is applicable to all of us, but especially so to the children admitted. The principle is that any individual, more particularly a child, who has sufficient food, sufficient rest and exercise, fresh air .and sunshine, is kept adequately clean apd suitably clothed, has every chance of good health, and that the neglect of these essentials is the cause, direct or otherwise, of many ailments and disabilities. A further requirement may be added. That is that a child must be happy and contended in a healthy and secure environment. “You may ask, ‘is this not possible in New Zealand without special health camps.’ Of course for the vast majority of our children it is possible, but there are children who are run down, suffer from persistent colds. bronchitis, asthma, who are convalescing after illness or may require special supervision as in the case of contacts with tuberculosis. For these kind of reasons children have fallen out of step and are lagging behind their fellows. A spell in health camp lets them catch up with the great majority.” Other speakers were the chairman of the district committee of health camps, Mr R. M. Naysmith, and the chairman of the Glenelg management committee. Mr George Burns. Mr Burns asked for support for the health stamp campaign for the maintenance of the camp. Afterwards visitors were shown round the grounds, the building and the school. First-day sales of health stamps at Lyttelton yesterday amounted to £241 17s. an increase of £34 14s 3d on the first day sales last year.