PLUNKET SOCIETY

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 225, 21 June 1939, Page 4

PLUNKET SOCIETY

Work In Wellington District REPORT OF BRANCH Ninety per cent, or the babies born iu the Wellington district come under Plunket supervision, states the report to be presented at the annual meeting of the AVeilington branch of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children tomorrow. Reference is made to the formation of the Truby King Club, a body of young people, from whose efforts the society has received much assistance. Increased membership of the society in the suburban areas is recorded. Commenting on this, the report says that it shows that the knowledge of the work is spreading, and that parents are realizing more and more the debt they owe to the Plunket Society. “It was with the sense of having had conferred on it a very great privilege that the AVeilington branch learnt that it was to be the possessor of our founder’s home at Mount Melrose,” the report states, referring to Truby King’s house. It is intended to give senior Karitane nurses an opportunity of specializing at Truby King House before completing their training, and opportunities are also to tie given to Karitane and Plunket nurses tv take refresher courses. National Memorial. Reference is made also in the report to the launching of an appeal throughout the Dominion inviting contributions toward a national memorial, part of which will lie set aside as an endowment fund, the income from which will go to the AVeilington branch to assist with the upkeep aud maintenance of Truby King House. The report surveys the Truby King work overseas, the extent to which these methods are used and the reputation overseas New Zealand lias gained thereby. It is suggested that this work in other lands should lie a challenge to fresh endeavours in this country and a greater determination to “maintain and extend the influence of this great public health light which was fanned into flame in New Zealand just 32 years ago and which today sheds its healing rays around the entire world.” The net. result of the year's working is as follows: —Karitane Hospital loss, £7OO/10/4; Plunket nursing loss, £248/17/2. Net loss for year, £955 7/6. The funds in the Post Office Savings Bank at March 34 amounted to £1266 5/3. It is estimated that money required to be raised by the committee based on last year's figures will be £3OOO for the nursing service and £lOOO for the Karitane Hospital. The increased estimate, the report states, is necessitated by higher salaries, both on the nursing side and at the hos-

pital, and higher contributions to the superannuation fund, as well as a big increase in living expenses. Karitane Hospital. “In view of the remark occasionally heard that ‘Karitane Hospital never pays,’ we should like'to emphasize the fact,” states the committee, “I bat if all accounts due to the hospital (deducting the allowances given as reduction of fees) were paid in full the income earned this year would bo £1998/10/- —which, together with the amount received from trainees’ fees, should go far toward meeting the cost of maintenance at the hospital. Instead, we have outstanding the “Sum of £1331/12/8.” The report points out that an increased service- means an increased cost to maintain it. As about twothirds of the money required to finance the society is raised by voluntary effort it is felt that a great deal more of the responsibility for tills could be assumed by parents of children who have benefited from the society's work. It is suggested that it would surely bo a great day when it could be said that every parent whose child was under Plunket supervision was a member of the society.