CAKE OF THE BABIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3175, 28 August 1917, Page 7

CAKE OF THE BABIES

• ♦ . THE PLUNKET SOCIETY

DEPUTATION TO' MINISTER

A deputation, representative of the ■Koyal Now Zealand Society for tho ■Health of Women and Children interviewed tho Hon.'G.w: Russell, Ministor pf Public Health, yesterday, to' make of him certain requests of importance to the society in its work for the saving of infant life in this country. The members cf the deputation comprised representatives .of branches of the 6ocie.ty in Dunedin, Chvistclmreh, and Wellington. A large number of'menihers of Parliament were present also. Mr. T. K. Sidoy, introducing tho de•putation, said that lie Bad been asked to say on behalf of tho members that they ware all in complete: accord with , tho requests that would be made to tho Hinister. Hβ wished to say that tho members of the society' recognised the •energy with which tho Minister had ■voted: himself to the duties of his office ns> Minister of Public Health, and wished aleo to recognise the ovidences he hod given of interest in. the- work of'the society. There never was a time in the Siistory of the world when it was moro necessary to take all possible means to «ave infant life, and for this reason he urged that the Minister should if poseiblf) givo a sympathetic ear to the re--quests that would bp niade to him. The first; and main thing that they had como to ask,'was that there .should be uniformity of teaching in regard to the Seeding, and caro of infupts. To this end 'they asked;that. DivTruby King should bo released from bis ordinary work as. Superintendent of .the Mental Hospital at SeacliS for. a period of about three wqeke in order to inaugurate a campaign of instruction'all.over the country. The third request was that the Department should co-operate heartily'with the society In its work. Tho fourth request Tvaa that some financial aseistance. should Tie givon .to the. society in Christchurch . in the establishment- of a baby hospital there. He urged that this was a reasonable demand as the people, of the city had subscribed the , sum of no lesß than .£IO,OOO in voluntary' contributions. Tho Requests in Detail. . Jlra. : Eing,,pf Dunedin, was tho first speaker. ; Sne asked the Minister to direct /that>.there fihould be only one recognised set of rules promulgated for the instruction, of mothers., and .nurses. She stated.that some time ago the Public Health Department had issued a pamphlet containing a deal, of information "which was-in conflict.with that contained in the official book of the society compiled by Dr. King, She said that this conflict o£ ideas and,precept was apt to cause confusion, and, furthermore,' she maintained that some of tlie information in this Government pamphlet was misleading, if not incorrect. ' ■ Mrs. ■ Theomin urged that Dr. King should 'be allowed sufficient leave from his duties to undertake a tour of the country in order.to give, courses rf instruction in somo of the larger centres of population. ~. • , . Mrs: Bristed. advance*} the Chnstchurch request. She said that the society had raised .in. Christchureh the sum of'' "J810,000,. 'the last thousand having been, given by Mrs. Heuton Ehodes. ■ But the society could not carry "on. without the help, of the Government • They would need a considerable part' of tho sum raised for the purchase "of'the building for the hospital, and for the equipping of it. She suggested that the Government might bo willing to give a. subsidy of 31s. in the '£, provided'.the society ■■ pnt all the money 6o given, and the balance of tho sum raised into the war, loan. This would go far towards iproTidinc;, an income from which tho exirenses of running the establishment coul.d bo drawn. They ■would need for tliie purpose at least JEBOO a year. : :M>=. C. Earlo supported Fh'c Tequcst that Dr. TCinsf be rmonsnd ,f rom his wort nt S<\aoKtf in order that he misrht ?o round tho country giving .instruction in the work in which tho society-was interested. ~Tt mitrht ho quite true, sho paid, that Dr. Kintr 'was nlrendy doirir work of thp. jrrentp't inincir.tance. but it was work Hint could be dnic a Hmn by somenio els". whr>rr>a<: Ttr. .TCimr had wade a. life study of the Phinket work. The Minister's Reply. The Minister, replying, said that ho endorsed every word that 'had been said as to the importance of saving infant life at this limo to make good tho wastage of the war. 'With reference to t'hp first request for uniformity of teaching, he was sorry to find that there appeared to be a difference of opinion as between the Public Health Department and the society. He did- not propose to make any comment on the subject about which there appeared to be disagreement be? tween two medical men—the InspectorGeneral of-Hospitals (Dr. Valintine) and Dr. Trilby King. Ho did agreo that it was in ; the highest degree desirable that literature should be available to mothers. Aβ to the suggestion that the instruction of the Plunket Society should he carTied to the Stale hospitals and maternity hospitals, ho would havo to consnHDr. Valintino and the other expert officers of the Government. ' He could not commit himself to any course of action that

was not advised by the medical men of the Public Health Department. At the saina time ho recognised that Dr. Truby King, the head and front of the Plunket Society, was entitled to tho very greatest respect on this subject. Hβ would like to add that during the past year or two the Department had not been idle, ill regard to-this matter of the protection of infant and child life. The success of. the St. Helen's Homes had beon absolutely surprising. The death ' rate was very low, and the subsequent health of the childron, who were followed up always, was very good. There was a system by which nurses in tho hospitals visited women who were not accouched in tho hospitals at all, and gave them valuable advice, and this system, was being rapidly extended. Arrangements had been made during the last year by which' any expectant mothers could go to a St. Helen's Hospital and obtain advico from the doctor in charge, or from the matron. This policy also was being rapidly extended. •He had asked tho public hospitals to establish maternity wards for tho use of mothers; and for tho training of nurses. Four of these wards had been established, and he hoped that within tho next two years there would be at least twenty more maternily wards-established in connection with tho hosnitnls of tho couutry. Hβ was glad to be able to say to tho deputation that, he had already arranged' for tho release of Dr. King for tho work which the- society asked he should undertake for a period of three' weeks, on the understanding that if an emergency aroso in this institution at Sencliff he would havo to bo recalled immediately. (Applause.) , . Extend Operations. ' He had listened very carefully to ono 'remark of Mi's. King, by which ehe suggested, that in the case of sickness of a child tho nearest Plunket nurse should .bo notified. This was all very woll, but tho records of tho -society showed that there were only some 25 branches of the socioty in the country. Ho had been urging tho society—and ho had rather got into hot water about it—to try to formulate a plan for tlie extension of the operations of the Eociety throughout the Dominion. For instance, in the whole of tho great territory to the north of Auckland there was not a single Plunket ourse. He had urged the society to go in for a scheme of steady expansion, .and practically the Government was committed to the policy of subsidising every Plunket nurso that was appointed, provided, it could be shown fhat there' was need of a nurse in the district, and the subsidy was to bo at tho rate of \£loo 4 yoar. ■ Piling Up Credit Balances. Ho would have to refer to the financial position of the eociety because an ■application was being made for funds by t|ie Christchurch -branch. "I want to say to'the- society," he said, "that I do think there is. a tendency on the part of the society to fund credit balances unduly which might as well be spent. The returns from the various branches of. tho society showed that on' April 1, .1916, the balances to the credit of the branches amounted to ,£1959/' and that on March 31 of this year these credits bad risen to JC4522. . Practically the society during the • past year has increased its credit balances of the branches by J82500. It is not for me to criticise the administration of tho eociety, but if this money, or-a. portion of it, were expend; ed in establishing new branches instead of going into the bank,' my opinion is that tho eociety would bo able.to cover a great'-deal more ground. I know the endeavour of the executive is to build up strong funds,, but 1 can say this, that while the Government is being asked to provide.' huge sums during the period of the war, not only for carrying on the war, but for increasing,the old-age pensions, widows' pensions, and the soldiers' pensions, you will not get the Government to pay out money in order to strengthen tho position of tho society. Rathtr they will say,- 'Let us see that you ore actually going to mako use of the money you have, and wo will be prepared to subsidise it.' I give this as a word of warning to tho society: that while tho Government will keep its promise- to subsidise the eociety this year at • the rate? • specified, the Government may havo to consider next year, if your cash balances go- on increasing, whether it will be able to go on paying subsidies at the same rate." . . Promise of Help. Ho was very proud to think that such an amount had been raised in his own city of Christchurch for the establishr mont of a hospital similar to the Karitane Hospital at Dunedin. As to the application for financial assistance from the Government, this would be considered when tho hospital was established, and when the Government could see what its necessities wore. Ho did not propose to mako any difference in the eubsidy of the Karitane, which received X 750 per year, and if the Christchurch. Hospital was found to be doing the same work as the Karitane Hospital, it would receive the same consideration as the Karitano Hospital. He was not able to commit the Government without consulting his colleagues. Certainly he could not promiso a subsidy of 245. in the ponnd. Hβ would suggest to the executive that they should go on with the hospital, but not to spend too much money on .buildings. Then when they were ready to begin operations he would be prepared to recommend tho Government to giva them such a subsidy as would enable them to make the. institution a complete success,