DENTAL TREATMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 14 November 1922, Page 4

DENTAL TREATMENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN

SCHOOL COMMITTEES MEET

DIRECTOR

The meeting arranged between the representatives of the School Committees Association and Colonel Hunter, Director of Dental Hygiene was held in the Richmond School on Saturday last and was well attended, delegates coming from places as far distant as Neudorf, Motueka and Foxhill, thus showing that considerable interest is being taken in tiie country districts in this work, which has such possibilities for the welfare of the children of the Dominion. Mr ,S. P. Clay, president of the Nelson Association whs m the chair and briefly welcomed Colonel Hunter to the meeting. The Director, in reply, expressed his pleasure at seeing such a representative gathering, and his desire to deal with the- matters affecting the operations of his department by meeting School Committees and parents of the children in heart to heart talks rather than by sittihg in his office replying in writing to (.he various criticisms and suggestions which the. inaugural ion of a scheme, such as tie had charge of must, in the nature of things bring forth. He wanted to assure parents, and asked them to believe that he was deeply interested in the welfare of the children, and not to think of him as one in an easy comfortable position in Wellington, 'a big fat salary, neither of which was true. Tt was only this intense interest that led him to accept liis present position. Dealing with the scheme, the Director pointed out the many difficulties in the way of attaining what was no doubt the ultimate goal when every child in the Dominion would bo receiving proper dental aUentioh. Perhaps the greatest obstacle was the lack of money, but even were the. money available there was not a. sufficient number of trained dental nurses to undertake the work. He was quite cognisant that his way of tackling the question was open to many objections, but he was' convinced it wais the right way in view of the surrounding difficulties, and would in time overcome all the objections now levelled against it. His sympathies were all with the backblock settlers and he was endeavouring to overcome the very great obstacles in the way of putting them on the same footing as those places nearer towns. He was not convinced that the Van system so often advocated by those who knew, not the real difficulty, was the best solution. He had had some experience with the Van system and that experience did not lead him to think that it would meet the. difficulties of transport bf dental nurses in the backblocks. He thought that if the settlers co-operated along the lines he had laid down, e.g. provide for the transport of the dental officer and his gear, and for lunch in places not convenient to the main centre, the Department’s expenses wodld he kept down, ,and be would be able to provide more clinics so that the work could be extended to embrace the whole number of schools in the Dominion, which was his goal. He advocated the formation- in each district of a smalt committee of interested people to look after the dental treatment of the Children, and that this committee should raise the necessary funds to provide for what he asked. Mr Bensemann of Upper Moutere, gave the experience of his committee in carrying out the requirements of the Director ,in this matter. This committee had paid the expenses mentioned,. and then divided the coat amongst the pupils, treated and it .worlc-

ed out to something, like fourpence for each extraction, and sixpence for each stopping. This was considerably cheaper than taking the children to Nelson, and no inconvenience to the parents. Mr Hill said it appeared to him that the committee’s amid not do better than follow the suggestions made hy Colonel Hunter, and to work with the Department, although perhaps they did not altogether agree with some parts of the proposals. was pleased to know the stamp of man Colonel Hunter was, and was satisfied to leave the working out of the details of the scheme to him. He moved “That this meeting of delegates from ,ithe various school com-* mittees in the Nelson district tenders its best thanks to Colonel Hunter for the address he has just given, and pledge ! themselves to do their utmost to form in their respective districts, dental committees to co-operate with the school dentists in the matter of securing and paying for transportation and lunched. Mr Boundy (president of the Mptueka Association) seconded the motion. He | stressed the point that free dental ; treatment for all school children was ! what his Association believed in, and | what the Dominion Conference of School, Committees was agitating for. However, this seemed at the present moment unattainable, and he would support the motion. iMotueka and the surrounding; district had up to the present been leifi out in the cold, and he was sure that the Director would find in Motueka a, suitable centre for a dental clihic and that the people of the district would not be behind band in providing for the transport and comfort of the clinic sent. After some further discussion in which Mr Hooper (Wakefield) and Brownie (Foxhill) urged the claims of their respective districts for participation in the scheme. The motion was declared carried, with one dissentient voice.. ' If was further rtsolved to make the question of free dental treatment for school children a burning question during the coming election campaign, and to ask every school committee in favour to put the question to every aspirant for Parliamentary office at their election meetings.

In reply to the vote of thanks, Colonel Hunter said he would like once more tc thank the delegates for arranging the meeting. It was meetings like this, where he found such interest and sympathy that encouraged him to persevere with his scheme. He was quite aware of the truth of some of the criticisms levelled against it, but he could not help until circumstances altered. H© was satisfied that he was on*safe lines and that the scheme was the only on© which would succeed under existing cn> cumstances. Pressed for the an additional clinic for Nelson,' the Director stated that there would only he twenty-five dental nurses available early in February for distribution throughout the Dominion. Fifteen more young women had been selected and had started training. AH he could say was that those who showed that they Were ready to help themselves usually got what they desired. • A hearty vote to the chair terminated the meeting.