KARITANE APPEAL

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 219, 16 June 1925, Page 7

KARITANE APPEAL

Everybody likes to see a h-altliy child, but sentiment apart, the health of children is of enormous economic importance to the community, and an unhealthy generation is a ti-rrifie liability. The statistics of unfitness produced by the examination of recruits during the war proved that unfitness existed to a degree which scarcely anyone could have suspected was possible. “Every healthy young adult is worth over A 390 io the country. Every unhealthy wastrel and dependent who has to be kept by the public is a grave liability instead of being an asset. There arc, for instance, many insane persons ■' d other unfortunates who have cost the Dominion from .1:509 to .£lOOO each in maintenance. Wo want to prevent our normal assets from continuing io be converted through ignorance and neglect i'dr, grave liabilities. Tho sickness and debility of babies pre due to mere ignorance and carelessness: rarely to inien- ’• nal neglect and cruelty.” The quoted sentences are from a circular issued some years ago in connection with a southern “Baby Week”; their truth lias' not suffered from the passage of a few years. But the campaign against dangerous ignorance, though well begun in Nww Zealand, has but begun; and it will not have achieved its aim until, after many generations, every child that is born will have, a natural birthright of health and wi'l be assured that, through the enlightenment of mothers generally its birthright will not be snatched away from it. Towards tlf's great end the. Blanket .Society is working. Doctors and nurses and volunteer helpers, and thousands of grateful mothers, are co-operat-ing in tho work: and now those who can help in another way, with simple gifts of money, are asked to be generous too. Tile active workers have been and are extraordinarily generous in their efforts Wellington requires, for the proper conduct of flu. infant welfare work of the society, a Karitanc Home and a remodelled Vothorcraft Homo, the ono as a hospital for mothers and babies: the other as the citv headquarters for Plunkct nurses ami the direct assistance of the mothers of Well'ngton. These will require .£25.090; and all who- can are asked to help. These institutions will he a lasting memorial of the desire of the pqopip f or n sound population with no avoulab'e sickness among its little ones, and for the comfort and wclfar- of their most noble workers—the mothers. Contributions mav be sent to the secretary, Mr. IT. Amds. F.O. Box 12(11. or the treasure". Mr. G. Springhalt, Box G7S.