CANCER CAMPAIGN

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 85, 13 April 1929, Page 8

CANCER CAMPAIGN

THE NEW ZEALAND BRANCH

CONSIDERABLE BEQUESTS AVAILABLE

A meeting of the Central General Committee of the New Zealand branch of ■ the British Empire" Cancer Campaign wa.s held at the B.M.A. Rooms yesterday afternoon. Dr. J. S. Elliott was voted to the chair, and the other members present were Lady Luke, Mrs. Parkes (Auckland), the Hon. Colonel Collins, M.L.C.,'Br. M. H. Watts (Assistant Director-General of Health), Mr. Peter Eraser, M.P., Mr. George Shirteliffe, and Mr. C. M. Luke. Apologies were received . from Mr: , Knight (chairman of ,' the Otago Hospital Board); the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup), and, Mr. Wallace (chairman 'of -.the., Auckland Hospital Board).'.. ■ / Dr. .Elliott said, that the movement had already met with great support and he_ thought the financial side was .very bright. There we're legacies now of a considerable amount, available, arid some society was necessary to receive these legacies, because it had been difficult hitherto, to ' find an appropriate body : to.: deal, with that matter. It would therefore be 1 imperative to have the society incorporated, and he, thought: it advisable to affiliatevvvith the British headquarters, because if affiliated, they, would get the publications issued by headquarters. He might say that, the ; Minister of Health, and the : Prime Minister... were heart and soulin the matter.. ■ ; s

Ou the motion- of Mr. Shirteliffe, it was decided ./"that the New Zealand branch be incorporated, and ..a,-sub'-' 'committee "on ,rules was appointed..' It was resolved also, to: affiliate with the British headquarters, v; -:■■■;' . :,• Dr. Elliott, said, that, as the result of * a campaign;'■ better hospital facilities ;would be .available for cancer patients, very complete records would be kept of cases, and diagnoses and treat-, merit would be, improved. , , '' ■' .':. .Colonel, Collins said that an immediate result would probably be a reduction in the cancer mortality rate. There, was no doubt that a number of cases put down as cancer were not cancer, j, He thought, there ought .to be a central cancer hospital in> each island. ' Dr. Elliott said that cancer .wards /would be a first step in that direction; The suggested cancer 'hospitals were 'hardly practicable yet from the financial point of view. - ■■;• .■■■-■. .

Dr. -Elliott stated that Mrs. T. Dwan, of Wellington, had given £1000 for cancer research.

Dr. Watt gave a brief statement as to other .sums available for research, stating that Mrs. ,M., A.,Massey, of Invereargill, had:given the sum of £1000 to', the' 1 Otago University Medical School, on-which the' Government gave a subsidy of, £1 for £1; a further small bequest of £100 had been left by a former patient of Wellington Hospital, Hvhich also bore Government subsidy; thus making a total of £2200. 'Of this, some £500 had been spent at Otago University, leaving, approximately £1600..available'-for the purposes of a campaign. Then the late William .Henry. Travis, of Christchurchjas' had been stated' in. .the 'papers '-some,, time ago, had .• left" a Request for.-, a cancer . and tuberculosis campaign, as a result of which he understood some £ COOO would be available, part of it for cancer research. ' . -. ■ ■• : '

_ It was decided to tako up the question of the Travis bequest as soon as the branch was incorporated. \ Dr. Elliott' said that the Dunedin people were' very anxious to form a division of the branch down there as soon as' possible and take steps to raise a fund to provide radium for tho Otago Hospital, which was at present sadly deficient in radium. Similar divisions would also, he hoped, shortly bo in Auckland and Christchurch. The committee, on the motion of Lady Luke, approved of the formation forthwith of a Dunedin division of _ the branch and of, the, proposal to raise a radium fund.

On the motion of Mr. Shirtcliffe, Dr. Elliott was appointed permanent'chairman, of the committe. ,' ' ' ' . ■■':