KHANDALLAH BRANCH

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 95, 23 April 1935, Page 15

KHANDALLAH BRANCH

universal-franchise for all the population. The two Cingalese ladies spoke ] with.satisfaction of the election of two Englishmen in the country districts, as they had done so much for the people and district. The present Parliament is only ,Jhe second under the new Constitution. They have parties, but Miss Kane thought they work more as the City Council does in New Zealand, with i a number of committees. One of the ladies with her served on the education and welfare committees. Lunch at the Galle Face Hotel followed, when the visitor tried several new dishes, and enjoyed the pines and mangosteens. VISIT TO HOSPITAL. I Dr. Rutmari offered to take =-Miss Kane anywhere she liked, so, as herj interests lie in the direction of hospitals, she asked,to be shown one. However, first she was taken to see the welfare work done by the W.C.T.U., to the Social Service League, to a creche, and to a home for women and children. The W.C.T.U. has a rest place for men, j among other works. This is for unemployed coolies and they can go there at night instead of lying about the streets as they used to do. They have a night school for them and a day school for boys, having organised the latter into a Scout Troop. There is an infant welfare centre / where mothers take their babies, and where a kind of Plunket work is carried out. The hospitals are State supported, but there are wards for paying patients. Many of these wards are open to the air, and some are open all round, being merely a floor with divisions about a foot from the floor and two feet from the roof. Ths floors are of stone. The wards for 'the paying patients looked picturesque, with loggias in beautiful creepers over the outside walls. The children's and women's wards adjoin. Dr. Rutman was much exercised Over their condition,' as both were much overcrowded. The children's, which has 85 beds, had about 140 children in it. Many slept on the floors. That is no hardship to them, but they were very short of nurses. There is a matron and sister in charge, but no fully-trained nurse in each ward. They are training nurses, but it takes a good deal of time In the children's part there was a matron and sister, both English, but the trainees were Cingalese. Thero was only one, isolation ward and not nearly enough possibility of segregnXThe medical school is next the hospital and further off are the hostels. A woman doctor is in charge, this being aft earnest request from the Cingalese, and they have a male medical superintendent. , •

The programme for a recent meeting of the Khandallah branch of the League of Mothers was an innovation for this branch. The afternoon's entertainment was provided by two branch members. Mrs. Neil Jack gave an interesting address, taking as her subject "Music in the Home,", this being admirably illustrated by vocal items given by Mrs. Morrish.

In opening her talk, Mrs. Jack reminded members that the responsibility of. creating a child's taste in music lay entirely in the hands of parents. She pointed out the important part that music plays in the home life, showing how it brightened and cheered the everyday routine and lightened work, which might otherwise become a drudgery. She mentioned the part that music plays in amusing and educating children, and instanced many singing games which provided helpful recreation. Mrs. Morrish's songs, which were heartily applauded, included "The Dustman," "The Spinning Wheel," and "A Southern Song." A vote of thanks to Mesdames Jack and Morrish was proposed by Mrs. Bollinger, and was carried with acclamation. During the afternoon an admission service was held for seven new members. Feeling reference was made to the death of Mr, D. G. Clark, and a motion