SAVING THE BABIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13873, 6 October 1908, Page 6

SAVING THE BABIES.

WORK OP THE PLUNKET NURSES. [by telegraph.—press association.] Wellington, Monday. Lv the Legislative Council fins morning, the Attorney-General, in moving the second reading of the Infants Amendment. [ Bill, explained: that under the existing Act, where parents "or relatives of children boarded out had failed to make payments,,,' the expense had been defrayed from the : Consolidated Fund. This Bill would throw the responsibility in such cases on charitable aid institutions. The Hon. J. T. Paul, in seconding the motion, emphasised the desirableness of granting every protection to the preservation of infant life. He paid a high tribute to the work don© for the preservation of infant life by the society of which Lady riunket is president. The Attorney-General said the work done by the Karitane Home, in Dunediii, which supplied the Plunket nurses for the Dominion, was a valuable national one. "We have to face the baffling problem of the declining birth-rate," he continued. "If we are going- to rise-, to the position-.'of. a great race, eome method of checking that evil has to be found, and none is. better than reducing the. mortality of infants." Dr. Findlay went on to say that the Infant Life Protection Society of the Dominion was doing a great work, which the Government appreciated. He quoted figures to show the work accomplished by the Plunket nurses for the society, in different parts of the Dominion, Last year 430 babies were looked after, with only 10 deaths., In Auckland 121 babies were attended m six months, with- only 'two deaths. ,At Christchurch, in one year, 111 babies were attended, with 'only ■ two deaths. In Napier, where i\ there is a temporary nurse, 30 babies were attended in four months, without a single death. Seventy cases were attended in Wellington with similar successful ..results. It -was estimated by Lady Plunket that over 300 of these infants were seriously ill when the nurses were called: in, and it was not too much to say that without the aid of the nurses the majority would have died.