HEALTH CAMP WORK

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 64, 9 December 1936, Page 13

HEALTH CAMP WORK

Maintenance Charge For Next Year DIFFICULTY IN STAFFING Stalling is a problem which has caused the executive of the Wellington Children’s Health Camp Association serious difficulty. It has been found hard to fill positions vacant at the health camp, mainly on the domestic side, and it has been found necessary to increase all wages substantially.

Invaluable assistance has been given the executive during the year by members of the ladies’ auxiliary. In a recent effort this body supplied the camp with: 75 pairs of .sheets, 11 dozen pil-low-slips. 4 dozen tea cloths, 30 yards of roller towelling, 2S khaki boys’ shirts, 28 khaki boys’ shorts, 30 girls’ dresses and bloomers, at a cost of. approximately £6O. From advice received the auxiliary proposes to spend a. further £3O before Christmas on urgent necessities for the camp.

It has been decided to close the camp from Saturday, December 12, until Monday, December 21, for the purpose of carrying out certain improvements. With immediate work carried out, approval has been given to admit up to 110 children for the'Christmas vacation, and the association has recommended to the reeently-set-up central council the following allocations: — Wellington 40, Wairarapa 8, Hawke’s Bay 26, East Cape 8, Manawatu 6, Taranaki 20.

Recently the executive communicated with all district health camp committees stating that the maintenance charge for the ensuing year was to be fixed at 15/6 a child weekly, explaining that this figure was actually the cost for the past year ended July 31. It was also mentioned that no attemp had been made to cover the increase of wages of the staff, which were inevitable, because of the introduction of the 40-hour week and the basic wage legislation. It is estimated that during the ensuing year the wages bill will be practically doubled. As a result of the last term appeal throughout the primary schools in the Wellington district £79/15/- has been received and banked to the credit of the association’s account. The sum of £lOO has been received for the provision of play-area equipment, and negotiations are now under way to install a combined set of horizontal bars, and it is hoped that this equipment will be ready for use during the Christmas holidays.