VICE REGAL TOUR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 107, 2 April 1930, Page 7

VICE REGAL TOUR.

THE AUCKLAND RECEPTION. ENDORSEMENT OF OBSTETRICAL APPEAL. Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, April 1. A civic reception was tendered Lord Bledisloe, the Governor-General, and Lady Bledisloe to-night in the Town Hall, which was crowded. An address was read by the Mayor. Mr G. Baildon, and Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, Minister of Health extended a welcome on behalf of the Government. Lord Bledisloe announced that as an old member of the Council of the British Association, he had, with the consent of the Government of this Dominion, dispatched a cable asking that the association should hold its annual meeting in New Zealand in 1934. He explained that he had taken this step in recognition of the work being .lone in many branches of science in this country. He had every reason to believo that the invitation would he accepted. An endorsement of tho obstetrical appeal now being made throughout New Zealand was given by His Excellency. He said that Mr Stallworthy, who represented the Government, had claimed credit, and rightly, for the low rate of mortality of the population as a whole, and particularly of young children. “I wish that the same could be said about the mothers of the country,” Lord Bledisloe added. He ventured to hope that before another GovernorGeneral received his official welcome, tho Minister of Health would be able to say in public that, as a result of the grand efforts being made at great self-sacrific by many generous people to provide better obstetrical skill on these crucial occasions in a woman’s life, low. mortality among mothers was also a feature of the life of New Zealand, which could be claimed in regard to children. In referring to a remark made by Mr Stallworthy, that New Zealand had been the first part of the British Empire to establish a Ministry of Health, His Excellency said that that was very praise-worthy and he had no doubt it was perfectly true, but he would remind Mr Stallworthy that for many years before the _ New Zealand Ministry was established, there existed old Government Department in London known as the Local Government Board, which, although not labelled a Ministry of Health, certainly acted as such for many generations before tho pioneer Ministry was. established here. This afternoon Lord and Lady Bledisloe visited places of interest in the city. Visits will be made to hospitals and other institutions to-morrow, and Their Excellencies will leave for Wellington to-morrow night.