CHILDREN'S HEALTH.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VI, Issue 268, 28 October 1916, Page 2

CHILDREN'S HEALTH.

MINISTER OF I I. DLIC HEALTH DEPUTATIONS AT NAPIER. ‘ THE SUPREME DUTY OF STATEMANSHIP. ' Last evening, f the Masonic Hotel, Napier, a deputation—con--1 sisting of Mesdames J. Brown ; and P. Ashcroft (Plunket Nurse Society), Mrs. Fossey and Mr. Henry Hill (Hospital Board), and Mrs. ’ Hunt, (originator of a petition)— waited on the Hon G. M. Russell (Minister of Public Health) asking him to urge the Government to establish a maternity ward at the Napier Hospital. The deputation was introduced by the Mavor (Mr. J. V igor Brown. M.P.). THE DEPUTATION’S REQUIREMENTS. Mrs. Hunt, the first- speaker, exj plained that a petition, carrying i 1350 signatures, had been presented to the H.B. Hospital Board, but finance prevented them from carrying out the work. The speaker also gave, several instances where moth- , ers had had to suffer because there was no maternity home in this dis- : trict. and expressed a hope that the Minister would sec h(s way to assist. I Mrs. Ashcroft also referred to I the need for a ward. Mrs. Fossey said the Hospital could not see its way to erect a matrenity ward as its attention was • occupied with the isolation ward, which was urgently required. They were therefore anxious to know if the Minister could help them. Fifty circulars had been sent out asking for donations, but in only one case j bad anything been forthcoming. I The Minister suggested that as Hawke’s Bay was a wealthy district ; a nersonal canvass would probably j be "more successful. Mr. Hill said he understood four I maternify wards had been establish- : ed in the main centres, and that j one at Poverty Bay had recently | been taken over by the Governl jnent. I The Minister: That is so. I Mr. Hill said it was in the interests of population at the present! .time that something furher should j be done towards the development of maternity wards in New Zealand. The time was coming when a great deal more attention w’ould have to I be taken in connecntion with the) births that take place in New Zealand. In 1870 the birth rate was he said, 31.19 per thousand, and m 11914 it was down to 25.9 per thousand. In 1878 the birth rate was 337 per thousand women, which meant that there was one woman in every three in the Dominion, between the ages of fifteen and forty five, who had a baby. In 1911 this number had decreased to 209, or one in five. Mr. Hill also quoted other figures illustrating the diminishing birthrate. Tn conclusion he expressed, a hope that the Minister would insist on the establishment of materniy homes throughout the Dominion. THE MINISTER’S REPLY. The Minister, in reply, said it had pleased him to meet this deputation regarding this very important matter. In the late Mrs. Seddon’s time four St. Helen’s Homes had been established, and since he assumed office the Government had < taken over the home at Gisborne, the cost of the running of which now came out of the consolidated fund. The object of the St. Helen’s Hornes was to assist parents with limited means, and an important branch of the work was the training of hrid-wives. When he took office as a member of the McKenzie Government in 1912 he had the same portfolios that he now held under the National Government. He had now found that no women were allowed to go into these homes if their husbands earned more than £3 a week, and had had that raised to tl. Moreover, he had lately given instructions for the varying of the £l a week standard to meet any particular case. He had recently introduced a further reform in connection with these institutions, whereby medical officers were to be in attendance at the homes on two afternoons a week for the purpose of advising expectant mothers, whether they intended to go into the home or not. Any women were entitled to this advice. “J would like to say,” he continued, “that it is rny sincere desire and determination to have a maternity ward established at eveiw hospital in New Zealand where they have their own St. Helen’s Home. Y'ou may take that as a clear statement of policy.” He was prepared, when any Hospital Board approached him with a proposal to establish a maternity ward, to guarantee a subsidy of 24/in the £ on all money collected and to give a full subsidy on any money spent by the board in the erection of a ward. He would be prepared, and would be most happy to supply such boards with trained, experienced maternity nurses, holding certificates, and to accept full responsibility in connection with the maintenance of the ward, merely asking that the board should pay its share and he would pay his. He was prepared to strain the powers he possessed to assist in the establishment of a maternity ward in Napier. He was heartily in sympathy with the movement, and Mould, after receiving a report from his executive, immediately approve of any plans for a maternity ward he might receive from the board. The Minister then dealt at some length with the extremely valuable work being done by the Plunket Society, and said he honed to see the whole country covered with them. He hoped to see branches of the Society established in every town and village in New Zealand before three years were' over. “You have,” he said, “my best wishes and thanks on behalf of the people of this country for the work that is being done by the Royal Society for the Protection of the Health of Women and Children.” Referring to the statistics quoted by Mr. Hill, the Minister said the diminishing birth rate was worldwide. One cause was the economic conditions, and another was that

i the people were unrecognising their ' responsibility to God and to their race. Ho thought that, as a result of the war there would be a much higher birth rate than at present. | “So long as I remain Minister of I Public Health,” he eaid, “I shah i regard the duty to the coming child | as the most supreme duty of statesmanship. Your proposal for the maternity home has my entire support. and there is nothing I can do , as regards that and the Plunket Soi ciety that 1 will not do for the benel fit of the people of this country and lof Napier. If the board is prepared to take this matter up at once, and arrange to go on with the, erection of the ward, I am prepared to consider them at once with a view to it being gone on with. If the board could not finance it at the present time, then it must eosider the mater when framing the estimates and the Government would pay its j share. | Mr. Hill: If we get a loan will the Government pay towards the interest ?

The Minister: Yes, certainly. Tn conclusion he added that he would be prepared, later, to come to Napier and discuss the matter with the full board. Mr. Hill heartily 7 thanked the Minister, both for receiving them so considerately 3hd for the useful information he had imparted, and the deputation withdrew.