PAYMENT OF MOTHERS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 21, 15 September 1911, Page 1

PAYMENT OF MOTHERS.

"LARGER AND BETTER BABIES,"

A BRITISH SCHEME

A women'.s conference on hygiene, in connection with tlio Royal Sanitary Institute's Conference at Belfast, discussed on July 27 the State endowment of motherhood.

The subject was introduced by l)r (i. Eric Pritchard, who said that the national industry of infant production and infant rearing v\ ;is manifestly muddled. In spite of all that had Wen done there was still a large wastage due to bed-rock poverty, and a wellorganised system of endowment would eliminate most of the causes of death which were directly due to poverty. The hopolew prospect of the functions of maternity conducted under conditions of extreme poverty reduced many a mother to the verge of despair long before the actual crisis came upon her. The sense of security ami confidence which would ho conferred upon the mother by a satisfactory scheme of endowment would certainly find its reflection in the improved growth and development before and alter birth <>t' many of our children. Dirt and Stupidity.

One of the overwhelmingly splendid points in Mr Lloyd (forge's scheme was that it provided for maternity. The mother was to be endowed in her rapacity of mother, and not in her capacity of wife.

' The speaker said he had lieen a Strong believer in the sanctity of tlio home until, in connection with the medical examination of school children, ho came into personal contact with several thousands of their mothers'. The vast majority of these poor women had little conception of the meaning of discipline, obedience, or order. Muddle, dirt, stupidity,' and inefficiency constituted the environment of the great mass of such homes.

■ The time was not ripe for the serious consideration of communal establishments for tbe rearing of infants and young children, but he thought most of them were agreed with Mr Lloyd George's Bill offered no adequate provision for safeguarding the welfare of our babies. His plan was to.give a maternity benefit of .TOs without any sickness benefit. Much more was required than this. No scheme of maternity endowment could Ik> complete unless it provides every lying-in woman with the optional services of a capable and efficient midwife free of cost. Frae Food and Clothing. An efficient midwifery service should he supplemented by the domiciliary visits of properly trained health visitors both before and after birth, and both midwives and health visitors should be empowered to dispense free lienelits of food, clothing, or other necessity which they might thiink proper for the welfare of the State's new citizen. (Cheers.) i ,11 the course of "the discussion which 1 fallowed 1 two opinions were expressed on the biological aspect of the question. •■ One was that it was a proper thing to limit the number of children so as to bestow better care on the children bom into the world and prevent tbe great amount of infant mortality. The other opinion was that though it might be in the interests of motherhood to limit the number of children, it was against the welfare of the State. I At the same conference Or John MeCaw, Belfast, read a paper on the reduction of infant mortality after measles. It was nothing short of amazing, he said, that parents continued to look upon measles as a trifling complaint, in spite of the fact that it killed more children than all the other eruptive fevers put together.