RAILWAY “CECHE”

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 December 1934, Page 9

RAILWAY “CECHE”

INNOVATION AT MELBOURNE. One of the busiest and largest railway stations in the world is the FPndei's Street station in Melbourne. This is not remarkable when it is remembered that iu most large cities lailv.ay traflic is clissipai ed among half a dozen stations (as in London and Paris), while Melbourne has two. only. Even though some suburban trains leave the Spencer Street station, the great point of departure toi most of the popular suburbs is Flinders Street. Even the race trains for Flemington and Mooney Valley • which pass through the Spencer Street station) leave from Flinders Street, and bring the people back to that point. Mr T. Forsyth, of Wellington, who was a recent visitor to Melbourne, was immensely interested in this vast hive of human activity.. He discovered the- existence of a splendidlyequipped creche on the first floor of (his big station. . This creche enables mothers who work in the city to bring their babies with them, leave i.hcm at the creche during the' day. and pick them up again between 5 and 6 p.m. The existence of such a place in so convenient a spot was a boon to many a poor hard-working mother. • “I believe they receive an average of from 35 to 40 babies a. day,” said Mr Forsyth. “They come in, as a rule, between 8 and !) a.m. and are taken away after ' 5 o’clock in the evening. Some of them are ‘regulars.’ They are known and loved by the matron and her helpers, and run about the place as though it '.were their home.

, ‘‘To me it seemed so strange that such a place should exist in a busy railway station. ... I was taken all over‘it. There are two cot-rooms for sleeping babied, large playroom, a diniugToom; kitchen, and staff room. Then there is . a sterilising depart-

ment. They have to be quite sure that no child taken in is suffering an infectious disease of .any kind, as such.might be'easily communicated to the others. As a precaution, all the babies’ clothes are thoroughly sterilised. “I . asked , tho matron whether she was not afraid that a certain class of mother might leave her baby there

and fail to return for it. She told me there was little fear of that. It had occurred once —once only. Then so much publicity was given the. case that within a day or two half a dozen people wanted to adopt it.”