Dunedin Commerce Chamber Support For Plunket Society

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29237, 22 June 1960, Page 10

Dunedin Commerce Chamber Support For Plunket Society

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, June 21.

The Government had had a ‘‘change of heart” as a result of the strong opposition to suggestions that the Health Department should take over the Plunket Society, Mr W. S. Gilkison told the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce today.

He said the Health Department had been merely testing public opinion. Now it realised what it was up against. i Mr Gilkison said that the Plunket Society was somewhat outside the chamber’s scope, but this was a vital matter. Letters supporting the continuation of the society's work had been sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Health, the society, the associated Chambers of Commerce, and Dunedin members of Parliament.

The chamber maintained that plunket work could not be delegated to an impersonal body for three reasons, he said. ‘‘First, Plunket had its origin in Dunedin and its Dominion headquarters are here. Second, Plunket is virtually representative of

Enticement of High Wages.— The enticement of high Stages was largely responsible for drawing 15-year-old children away from schools, reported the headmaster of the Aranui High School (Mr W. J. A. Brittenden) at yesterday’s meeting of the school’s interim board of governors. The school roll was now 347, of whom 199 were girls, said Mr Brittenden. He said he was disappointed by the small but steady stream of 15-year-old children who continued tai leave:

everything best in private enterprise, and third, we completely resent and distrust anything, which savours of bureaucracy.”

Last week, the Minister of Health (Mr Mason) denied the department intended taking over the Plunket Society’s work. This was reported by Mr W. A. Fraser, M.P., in a letter read to today’s meeting.