HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Evening Post, Volume XCIII, Issue 48, 24 February 1917, Page 7

HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

CONFERENCE CONCLUDED,

In returning thanks for -Mrs. King, whose services were eulogised at the Plunket Societies' Conference yesterday, Dr. Trilby King said that he considered the elements of personal hygiene should, be taught; this was of the greatest importance under ideal conditions. ' Each girl should go to an institution for at least a, fortnight to learn the proper method of dealing with the feeding of infants and .their general care, so that she would not fall into ordinary mistakes if she should marry. Owing to the pi'eva.lence of small 'families, girls liad little opportunity of learning to love and care for children, and grew up with only intellectual life cultivated ' ■

Mrs. _ Chilton was asked to put her suggestion concerning hygiene certificates founded on Plunket Society teaching being necessary. to girl students into the form of a motion. This was done', and passed by the meeting. It was suggested that Sixth Standard girls should be included in the hygiene instruction for students.

Mr. Hope Gibbons spoke of the position of the Stuart Home (a residence bequeathed to Wangaiwi). The Mayor and council were asked to nominate the Plunket Society Committee as the trustees of this home, and it would undertake to "run" the place as a Plunket home, as there were no funds to support it left by Mr. Stuart. . ■ TO GET GOOD RESULTS. Dr. Tr'uby'King said that' the Central Council had a keen interest in each and every branch of the society. With regard to statistics, Auckland and Dunedin had put the death rate, at an unusually high rate. If a death rate could be under 4 per cent, as it was in Dunedin in 1912, why should it rise to. 7 per cent? There were many avoidable causes. In hot weather air and food required special care, and as the mother gained more knowledge the death rate would fall. In 1916 the statistics were different; the death rate in Auckland was 6.5, Wellington 6.6, 'Christchurch 6.Si Dunedin 5.8. In Dunedin the members had taken the place of Plunket nurses, given lectures, etc., and had assisted very greatly. There was' much opposition to the work in Christchurch, as there had been elsewhere, but members of the society and the nurses had worked"'well, and the death rate was much reduced. A tribute was paid at a Health Conference in London,' which Dr. King had attended, to the wovk done in • Christolmrch. Seeing that the New Zealand infantile death rate hatl been reduced by nearly 2^ per cent in - the seven years (1907-1914), was it not reasonable to aim at. bringing it down a further 2 per cent, in tho next sixteen years? Dr. King urged rivalry'among the branches, in order to get good results.

Officers were elected as follow :—General presidents, Dr. and Mrs. Truby King; president, Mre/Carr; vice-presi-dents. Lady Allen and the president of 1 the Wellington branch; treasurer, Mrs. Theomen ; secretary., Miss Glenderming ; committee, Mrs. Bloomfield (Auckland), Mesdames Morton (Christchurch), R. W. Gibbes, M'Gregor, J. A. Johnson, W. A. Moore, J. 0. M'Gregor, Pearce (Invercarfrill),'~'and Elworthy (Timaru).

The following donations to the Karitane Endowment Fund were promised : — Wellington £25, Christchurch £25, Invereargill £100. Auckland, Taihape, and Timaru; and others also promised to help.

Yesterday reference was made to the deaths of Nurses' Harild (W.estport) and Currie (Hawera). The Central" Council was instructed to formulate a scheme for a. memorial to these nurses and submit it to the branches.

Before the close of tho conference Dr. King expressed the thanks of Dunedin and the Central Council for the election of so many local members on ('.he council, and also their appreciation ' tho trust and confidence shown jv country branches in the work of the-council. He al% gave personal thanks to tho delegates for the whole-hearted way they had come forward to support the Karitane Homo on behalf of their branches." Votes of thanks were given to Mrs. Al-' gar Williams for presiding, to the gentlemen who had attended, as delegrates, to the lion, solicitors for drafting the rules, to Mrs. Theomin (treasurer of the council), and to Mr. Hunter and the Accountants' Society for the free use of the room for holding the meetings. The conference concluded with the singing of the National Anthem.