MATERNITY BENEFITS

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 June 1939, Page 5

MATERNITY BENEFITS

LETTER FROM MINISTER

[per press association.]

WELLINGTON. June 19. The following letter was sent to-day by the Minister for Health (Mr. Fraser) to Mrs. D. W. Swarbrick, of Te Awamutu, in answer to the conveners of the recent women’s meeting at Te Awamutu, who wrote to the Minister denying his allegation that the gathering was animated by political motives. “I unhesitatingly accept your assurance that none of the promoters are

of any political party. This assurance would be doubly valuable as demonstrating the absence of political bias if it could be shown that, apart from any actual party membership, affiliation, or association, the promoters were not personally political opponents of the Government, or at least that, some among them were actual supporters of the Government and its general policy. “While not. for a moment questioning the good faith of your statement in regard to the promoters’ knowledge of the social security maternity benefits regulations, and the draft contract, I am compelled to admit that 1 find it very difficult to reconcile, your claim in its entirety with the accounts of the meeting which I have received from a number of those who were present. For instance, several have informed me, each independently of the other, that one. of the speakers asked any of those present who understood the Act. the maternity benefits regulations, and the contract to hold up their hands. I have been assured that not one hand was held up.

“Then I have been informed, and have verified the information from a number of sources, that one of the promoters was asked to explain how the work of the doctors could possibly be impaired by the operation of the maternity benefits, and that instead of giving such explanation, she substituted a statement made by a doctor friend. That was the controversial collapse to which I referred. “The fact that the conveners of the meeting requested a strong and very able advocate of the Government’s plan to address the meeting—and did so, I have no doubt, with full knowledge of this lady’s attitude—is certainly a tribute to their fairness. 1 can only regret that this strong and able advocacy was not more effective against any possible prejudice and pre-conceived ideas. “In conclusion, I have to state that if there is any information or explanation in regard to the maternity benefits, or any section of them which might possibly help to clear up any misunderstanding, or allay any anxiety among the women of the district, and particularly on the part of young mothers, the Health Department or myself will be pleased to supply it. In the meantime, I am sure it must be a source of gratification to the promoters of the meeting, and to all who have the interests of the mothers of the Dominion at heart, to know that no fewer than 153 out of 179 private hospitals have now agreed to assist in extending the maternity benefits to mothers. These are. of course, in addition to the provision made in public maternity hospitals, and maternity wards of general hospitals.”