PLUNKET SOCIETY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 3 December 1925, Page 5

PLUNKET SOCIETY.

CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES. (BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.) DUNEDIN, Dec. 2. The annual conference of the Blanket Society was opened this morning, delegates' being present from all over New Zealand. The Mayor (Mr. H. L. Tapley) and Mr. C. E. Statham welcomed the visitors. Sir Truby King was present and addressed the gathering. ' Airs. J. A. Johnstone (Dunedin) was elected president of the conference. The following members ol' Parliament were present: Messrs T. K. Sidey, R. P. Hudson, and J. A. Young. Mr. Statham said that from the small beginning in 1937, when Dr. and Mrs. Truby King laid the foundations of the society, it had grown to something not only of Dominion but of international importance. (Applause.) Instead of only one P'lunket iiurse they had now nearly 100 in the Dominion and some sixty residential branches, and the work of the society had been of great benefit not only to the people of New Zealand, hut to those in many other parts of the world.

He noticed that the expenditure of the society was now something over £54,000 a year, towards which the Government contributed about onethird. He felt sure that whatever Government happened to be in power, and whatever amount they liked to place on the estimates in aid of the society, it would have the easiest passage through the House that anything could possibly have. Sir Truby King said it was a matter of very great gratification that so many had attended this biennial interim conference of the society. The only purpose of this interim assembly was to ensure annually continuity of the work and to give support and confidence to the central council between the years that the great conference was held in Wellington during Parliament’s session. It spoke volumes for the central council and for their interest in the work that this Dunedin conference was-so well attended, and it seemed as if the interim assembly was becoming almost as important as the bigger conference in Wellington. The remarks of the Mayor and Mr. Statham were just the kind of remarks they would have expected from them, added Sir Truby. If anything had tended to promote the work in Dunedin during recent years it was the fact that their civic head had so identified himself personally with the work, and thrown himself into it as he had done. (Applause.) Mr. Statham had helped them from the very beginning. While mentioning Mr! Tapley and Mr. Statham he was bound to say liow sorry they all were that the Hon. W. Downie Stewart was not present. However, they had -Miss Stewart with them, and she would* tell him how greatly appreciated his work had been. His efforts had made it possible for the nurses to get into touch with the mother just at the time of a child’s birth, and in that he had conferred a great boon on the whole community. Their heartfelt thanks were also due to Mr. and Mrs. Sidey, who had done everything in tlieir power to help to advance tlie work. They had always had the support of Parliament, from the Prime Minister down. ’ Parliamentarians and members of the Ministry had all given their help, and had done so because it fell in entire accordance 1 with their deepest convictions and deepest feelings. Mr. Tapley had spoken of the work done by Lady King and himself. His wife had had' as much to do with it as tlie speaker had) and on her behalf and his own he returned thanks for the remarks which had been made. The conference decided to increase the salaries of nurses with more than two years’ experience and to .circularise branches advising them to insure nurses against accident and sickness. It was decided that all applications to the Government for subsidies and grants should be made through the central council. A Motueka remit urging the need for small cars for nurses in big country districts was agreed to, as was a Nelson remit- urging that the society’s cars should be exempt from licensing fees by the Government.