MOTHERCRAFT HOME

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 131, 6 June 1925, Page 7

MOTHERCRAFT HOME

FOR CHILD WELFARE .WELLINGTON BEHIND OTHER CENTRES PittME MINISTER StJPPORTS THE APPEAL. The Mayor, Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, presided at a public meeting held at the Town Hall last evening to consider the question of raising funds to pay off the Mortgage-on the Mothereraft Home in K-ent terrace and to provide for the establishment of a Karitane Home for Wellington. His Excellency the GovernorGeneral and Lady Alice Fergusson were present. His Excellency's address is reported in another column. la opening the proceedings, the Mayor emphasised the value of the work of the Plunket Society, and said that unless some financial assistance was given the Mothereraft Home in Kent terrace would have to close up in the near future. Evidence would be brought before the meetting to show that the appeal was absolutely necessary. The Mayor said he was sure Wellington would respond very heartily to the appeal. He thought the value of tho institution to the whole country warranted him in sayinn- that sooner or Inter it would become a national institution. •PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS. The Hon. J. G. Coates, Prime Minister, who on rising to deliver his first public address after his accession to office, was most heartily applauded, said he'thought it was fitting that His Excellency the dovernor-Geheral should be associated with a movement in connection with the initiation of which one of his ■ predecessors had. taken a prominent part Mr Goales then read the following 'state'•raent made by the late Prime Minister -to a deputation from the General Conference of the Plunket Society : I want, on behalf of the Government and myself, to express apprecia--1 tion of the"splendid work done by the ' organisation of which you are members^ and which is well represented here to-day. I want at the same time to express appreciation of what has been done by Dr. Truby King. / I want to assure you that in coming to the Government you are coming -to a sympathetic set ot men. I do not ' know whether you recollect, it but it ' was actually part of the policy of the Present Government to encourage the Plunket Society and assist it. That was our published policy when wo went before the country at the last General Election—one of the planks of ■ out programme—so, you. see, wo are committed to assisting-vou as far as we possibly can. . . ". I hope we shall be ablo to arrange presently that so long as Dr. Truby King chooses to remain in harness the whole of his time will be given to the work of the Plunket Society and otherwise. ... I know perfectly well that your work cannot be carried on without money. ; ■-.. . „■ ■ I: think, you will .Understand* fromwhat I have said, and the: appreciation we have expressed, which we all sincerely, feel, that we will do what „, we ..can to, assist you. And. here let me say. this: I would very ■ much, sooner see the work you are doing done by a society such as -vouts than it should be done by a Department of the "• State. ■-. .-.. Work such as yours can be done far more sympathetically by a society than we can .■ao it as membeTs_ of the Government, lhat is my opinion, and I know my opinion is shared by the gentlemen .. who are my colleagues.

Mr. Coates added that it was part of the policy of the Government to support the Plunket Society. Mi-. Masseys reply to the deputation on that occasion fittingly expressed the attitude of the present Government. (Applause.) Mr. Coates referred to his own young family of five, and the necessary calls on his wife in attending to them, and added that as much time as.Mrs. Coates could spare for the work" of such a society as the Plunket Society would be given,"and as much time as he could give he would give towards furthering the society's appeal. ; . , „ ■-..-. . "A fine performance:" Proceeding, the Prime Minister said that. immigration bom into the country was the best class, of immigration we could possibly.have, and our attention should be.given to that. 'From 1900-to 1907 an average of 75 babies died out of every 1000. Iv 1907 the Plunket Society was formed, and the efforts of the society had reduced the number of deaths from 75 per 1000 in 1907 to 40 per 1000 in .1924. This meant tho saving of (M a year, or double what was originally aimed at. That was a very fine performance. It was estimated that formerly from .5000 to COOO babies mMit be inaimcrl for life i,, a single" year through want of attention and knowledge. Knowledge could now be imparted to all mothers, and, indeed, to the younger people who had just entered into wedlock, conternijig the treatment of children during the early days of their

<( _ If, is essential," said Mr. Coatcß m any country that the men and women should be as fit for every day life as the men should be to take pa« in an active campaign of war" It should be our national aim, concluded the Prime -Minister/to go on and produce, the healthiest form of humanity in the world. (Applause.) Mr. Coates" added that he sincerely hoped that the oflovts of thoso citizens who had taken so much interest in providing a Kantanp Home-in Wellington would meet with the success it so richly deserved— that the £20,000 necessary would be raised in a reasonable time, and that as speedily as possible the home would be built on the site so kindly donated by Sir Triiby lung. (Applause.) INITIATING THE MOVEMENT. Mr. Ernest W. Hunt, acting-chairman of the Wellington Rotary Club, after alluding to the special interest taken in this movement by the chairman of the club (Dr. W.E. Herbert, now on a visit to America), s:ud that the question of taking action in this matter first arose v.-heu Mr. D. A. Ewen (then president ot the club) was about to leave for England. That gentleman received what might be called an S.O.S. call from the president of the I'lunket Society (Lady Hosking) and .Miss Ward, who pointed out that unless something was done quickly there was very grave danger of thoMothercraft Home in Wellington having to close down. Mr. limit then described the inadequate accommodation at the home, and the urgent need for fSl?'^ 6- The splendid sum oj ±«juuu had been subscribed by the members of the club. Sir Triiby Kin" Jiad generously donated a site of 2 acres for a Karitane Home. The speaker said that he thought this country, and indeed, the nation, was under an immense oebt of gratitude to Sir Trilby Kiri" for Jus wonderful work in connection "with the child welfare movement. He thought lie could see, Mid he was sure those present would agree with him, that Sir ttru%, iing could be baked upon "aa

one of the nation's greatest men at the pi-esent time. (Applause.) WELLINGTON KAIIITANE HOME. The Kotary Club, after giving the whole question the most earnest consideration, decided that steps should bo taken to call a public meeting, and that an effort should be made to raise £20,000 by public subscriptions in order to build a Karttane Home, and to clenv off the mortgage oil. the Mothereraft Home in Kent terrace. The estimated cost of the new Karitane ■ Home 'was £13,000.' He might mention that the Rotary Club had during the past three years met 'the interest on the mortgage on the property in Kent terrace to the extent of £180. (Applause.) The Rotary. Club had done what they could; they had gone very carefully into the question of the necessity for the Karitane Home, and recommended the proposal to the public of Wellington, and felt sure that the public would rise to the occasion and do the proper tiling. He trusted that Her Excellency would be given the opportunity of opening the new Karitane Home at no very distant date SIR TRTJBY KING'S SPEECH. Sir Truby King feelingly acknowledged the many kind references which had been made to his work In. connection with child welfare. He said, however, that the success of tho work of thw Plunket Society had been due to the": women of this country. He added that it was well known also that thp work with which he had been credited was as much that of his wife, Lady King, as of himself. (Applause.). But the success of the movement was due to the whole womanhood of the Dominion, and it had been due in particular' to the unremitting work and devotion of the women who comprised the committees of the society. There were more than a thousand women throughout the Dominion who 3liade this work a large part of the chief. interest of their lives; and he thought there was no more patriotic work which they could do. He spoke in highly appreciative terms of the devotion and work of tho matron and nursing staff of the Mothereraft Home Sir Truby King sincerely thanked all who had assisted the movement, including the members of the medical profession. He acknowledged the valuable services of Dr. W; E. Herbert, in initiating the present movement, and referred to the help of Dr. J. g. Elliott and Dr. D. W. Wilson. HIGHEST FORM OF WOMEN'S EDUCATION. !P t r£ cf£?6> Sir'Truby. King remarked that His Excellency bad spoken of the movement as being especially in the direction of education. That, of course was absolutely true. . He contended that this was the highest of all forms of education for women—that which would enable them to be tho creators of a great race, and to see that the lamp of life was handed-.on ideally, that the .tume was properly fed, and that we left tho world, better after us than it'was when we came into it. (Applause.) He was suro the .new institution would be founded in a worthy way. It was ■tiot properly described as a hospital, because ,t was a place for the mainten' ace of health Health was a, posihL { lg- D^ase ™* negative thing—always wrong, and was for the most part avoidable. It would be a the Kantane Home. Better still, &, Rari"SvL^°f Plt'Vr ?? UW be Ascribed as I School -for Mothers." and there w-ts -it juit of the 'ignorant and well-to-do" as nor™^> Sw "le' ??- ca]1<*l "Poor ancLiWellington, that, if they provided 11m institution that was aimeil at, in a vcrv few years their deaths from infantile diarrohoea would bo entirely a fi3/ as had been -tho case in Dunedin.

DR. J. S . ELLIOTT'S REMARKS n ■ „J> -S-, Elliott, chairman of the 0 do. vb t fc. that the age of infancy was that the healthy well-being of the adult f(l >ru m!, ant m the first years of which ™t T k ofthe.Pl«^et Society iI! h ?■■ f ul)reme importanco- was its educative side, especially as far tl concerned the mothers. It was hr ft"". U»at.the herself with a peaking of the Ph,k-et eh Id welfare movement, it required Sir Truby King to organise and accomplish in a few years, what it might have taken a few | plans") 3 aCC°mpli3h o^erwise." (ApDr.D. Macdonald Wilson, Medical Superintendent O f the Wellington 'Hot Wellington that durimr tlm w t,, years in the Wel] j n^ H o °sp , v^clived tn 16 i" faV tS' «feP«rtmen . had letened better treatment than they had ever received before, not on account of ! j£{ e^, ski'1 on the part of the d o tor head, of that department had, berides 1 eir general training, a l so had training \V-11 <ulta. l'e ""rsmg. (Applause:) D° the system that he insisted now that nurses m charge of that department should have that, traiim,* H e 'd every rensoi, to commend (.he Plunke Society lo the people ueiieraUy A Y e l nrovid° e S?, ltaS SakJ Vr:mk^' '^ pioride the atmosphere, the environment or the facilities possessed' by the Karitane Home. He concluded by expressing «lZ nCei? WL* -that lhey would so",! KkSr n .t^oS,r iiiirof-tiieWciiii«to'» THE CITIZENS' COMMITTEE Sir Truby King's generous offer of a free sue for the new building was accepted amid applause and 'ou (ho motion of Mr %L Myer^K.C Z following gentlemen were appointed to fo.-m.a citizens' committee to raise U le lecossarj- money for the i«wpHal\. £ tabhshment and Tor tho olcai:iii..r off of ho present inortgngo on the premises m Iveiit terrace .--Sir Alhed Kohin, 1); M. VVilsw, and J. Kl|i oU ., ' M e * srs ■ \\. Appletou, i\ Ctoldberg, F M ibiw' man, hc\. Wesks, L. Tripp M o I™%.} V- Bhmdell -J. B.M'J-w,,,' n W 'l lhr' t- Bla!'r- E- W" Hunt, "Vv' D. Hunt, J. M. A. Tlott, I). J M'-G-owan, U J. B. Norwood, (i SnriiA hall S. Kirkcaldie, W. Gray Vod'^ S. ■A . Iroup, b. A. Loiiguot, and f R a! Iveuzic. Votes of thanks'to'the spcake.-s. and