MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 47, 23 February 1917, Page 8

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS

SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT.

For nearly an hour this afternoon representatives of the conference discussed with Ministers various matters connected with the work of the society. The' Ministers'present were' Sir James Allen (Acting Prime Minister), the Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of, Public Health), tho Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald .(Minister o! Agriculture), and the Hon. Arthur M, Myers (Minister of Finance). i Mr. J. A. Young, M.P. for Waikato, outlined the society's difficulties, and the work of the conference. -

In tlie course of hi® reply, Sir James Allen said that the present and.past Governments fully appreciated the self-sac-rificing work of the society, and recognised that it had' not only been of benefit to New Zealand, but had attracted widespread attention in other countries. As far as the Government was concerned nothing would be done to hamper the society in its splendid work or to interfere with the voluntary basis on which it was founded. Nothing would be done to curtail the Government assistance. . ' ■

The Hon. G. W. Russell (Minister of Public Health) said it would be impossible for any Government to have done more than he had done to further the work of such a society. Last year he made certain proposals to the Executive for the extension of the- society's work,, and the result was that proposals avere made for an alteration of the constitution, which would give a greater power. 'to branches in carrying out detail work of administration. There had been no idea of nationalising the,, society or ■ that the Government should jbake it over or. interfere with it in. 1 anyway. He gave ■ the conference an absolute assurance that while he was Minister of Public Health. ,no effort would be made to interfere with the voluntary work of the society. He wanted,'however, to Doint out, from, the point of view of Minister of Public Health, the difficulty of their position. He could not, in his desire to save, infant life, refrain 'from, operating in districts where the Plnnket Society did not operate, and the only way to cope with that difficulty was. by .employing trained nurses through the Hospital Boards. He had a responsibility to the people of the country, and while he was prepared to extend every assistance to the society, he had to see that there was no part | of the.country the requirements of which i were, neglected ■ in'-this'respect. _ The Minister went on to deal in ,detail with the financial phase of the society's operations, and emphasised the point that it was contrary to the policy of the Government to pay , subsidies -when a society had unexpended cash available. If the society was prepared to increase the number of nurses from, say, 29 to 40, he was prepared to increase the subsidy from £3000 to £4000, on the understanding that if one branch did not require the whole of the subsidy it should divert it to a branch which was in need. AH. the Government desired was .that any money paid should be immediately devoted to the purpose for which it was paid. For the' present year the 1 society was receiving £100 for every nurse who had been in the field, and. that scheme would not be altered.