PLUNKET SOCIETY CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 254, 21 July 1920, Page 5

PLUNKET SOCIETY CONFERENCE

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

CHILD WELFARE

The k sixth general conference of the Koynl New Zealand. Society for the Health of Women mid Children' was operied in Wellington yesterday afternoon, Mrs. W. P. Mnsscy (president of the Wellington' branch_ of tho society)' presided, and in addition to about 70 delegates there were present Dr. Elliott, I)r. Collins, Miss Hester Unclean, Dr. D. Stout, the Rev. Mother Aubert, Colonel Hunter (Director of School Dental Services), Dr. W ilk ins (Director of School Medical Services), Mrs Parr, Dr. Ada Paterson. and representatives of the Public Health Department. Mrs. Mnssey extended a hearty welcome to the delegates and expressed tho hopo that the conference would bo of great service to oil present. . The Hon. C. J. Parr formally opened the conference in a speech that is reported elsewhere. . ... Dr. Truby King expressed appreciation of the Government's confidence in the •work of the society. He 'briffly outlined tho work in child welfare that had been Btarted on New Zealand lines at the Earl's Court institution in London. This ■work had been a wonderful success. The endorsement and backing afforded the work of the Plunket Society in New Zealand by- the Government had been very greatly appreciated, and with the further co-ordination which the Minister of Publio Health hud spoken of he was sure there would be a great decrease in the death-rate of this country. Health and education -undoubtedly interlaced, because the'best Tesults in. education, whether considered mentally or morally, could onlv be secured when there was a Bound, healthy physical foundation. Dr. King spoke of the ono great issue that had been arrived at unanimously by the different sections of file Medical Conference held at Cannes in April, 1919, at the invitation of the committee of Red Cross societies, which he had attended Every section, in covering (lie whole of the ground belonging to their different departments—tuberculosis, malaria, venereal disease, child welfare arid preventive medicine —met on the one_ fundamental issue,, the absolute necessity of attending to the health of children in their earliest years. At the great conference which was held later in Washington the same conclusion was stated. Referring to Mr. Parr's statement. that a system of child welfare would be a peat means of teducing the population of the hospitals, Dr. King added that it would iitso greatly • reduce the population of the mental asylums and gaols, and he gave instances of law-breakers who had been so inefficient as almost to be degenerates. Were child welfare instituted, such inefficient would scarcely exist. During tTio war it had been found that 50 per cent, of the manhood of the conntry was not fit for service, and the medical authorities had had to pass men who were not in the health they should have had in a country like this. There wag uo excuse for such a state of things, and there would be no excuse for us in New Zealand if we had more than 10 per cent, of inefficients in the future, or even more than 5 per cent. Tfe baWes in the Karitane Home were largely because their mothers did not know how to Tear them. If it were only out of love for this country, .he Jioped to get the campaign started for the rearing of the great race which should belong to the Dominion. To work for a healthy body and a healthy brain was to build a race that could be lianaed over to the educational authorities for the realisation of infinitely greaTer possibilities for the good of the world than under the present haphazard system. Dr. King spoke of the loss the society Sad sustained in the deaths of some of its keenest workers—Lord Plunket, 7Jrs. Carl-, and Sirs. Morton—all present , standing as he spoke of their vcrFan'd'erithiimaspi in'too'cam" '• : Dr. Elliott sain /.that he' hailed with great delight • the Minister's . proposal that Dr. Truby King should go throughout ~e\v Zealand for the purpose of promoting file health of the children. ' The natural conditions of this country were' ?ood, but the artificial ones, some of hem, were bad. The scheme embraced a vcryjvide field of activities, ranging fvoin ttie feeding of infants to hygiene iji all its phases. The feeding of infants was one part of the question; another was housing and proper environment. With a Government Bureau for i""uuu Welfare and such a society as the Fiiinket Society at its back, good woTk tTToiiiu be accomplished. The schema that_ had been brought before them. was ■most important.. Ho considered it an epoch-making event so far as the health of the country was concerned. Dr. Collins thougnt that looking nfter mothers before their children were born was_ono_oi : the most important matters that couid he dealt with. The prenatal deaths _ which occurred in this country and in older countries demanded grave consideration and every effort should J?e made, to reduce their number. 2 large proportion of them wero caused by venereal diseases, but again, a proportion were due to tho improper feeding mothers. Dr. Collins also spoke of the number of deaths tlfat took piaco shortly after the birth of the intuuts, lives that should have been saved to Iho country. With care and attentkli paid to tho children from birth to ijlif? fchool age and from tho school age to acloTescence, the work of education woiuu I>e easier. He advocated the giving of instruction separately at tho scnools to boys and girls upon sex matters during the adolescene period. They "ft not know the perils of vice, and he thought the Education Department might take "cSe matter up by the issno of special books of instruction. The question of child welfare affected all the nations, and at the Geneva Conference it was embodied as part of tho peace-time work of the Red Cross. He feit sure that those who were taking such an interest in Bed Cross work would take as great an interest in this peace-time work of rearing a healthv race.

Dr. Wilhns expressed his interest in the Fluukct work and in tho scheme tlint had been outlined by the Minister of Public Health. In the schools they were endeavouring to cope with physical defects in the children. He expressed the opinion that if instruction in matters of sex were left till the adolcsccnt period it was tl\cn too late, rive or six years of. age, when the child first went to school ,wns the right anil proper time, he thought. Colonel Hunter emphasised the evils which resulted from the great consumption of sweets and sweet foods which prevailed here. He told his heavere that more sugar was consumed in this country per capita than in any other in the world.

At the close of the speeches the conference adjourned for -afternoon tea, not to nieet again till this morning at 10 o'clock.