STILL APPEALING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17006, 13 November 1918, Page 6

STILL APPEALING

j THE CALL OF HUMANITY. PLEA FOR MORE HELPERS. i In response to the strong appeal made [ for additional volunteers to help the orI ganisations lighting the epidemic. 30 offers of assistance were received yesterday by Miss Bagley at the Health Office. Most of these were offers of domestic help. The j shortage of women with nursing experience remains acute. We are trying desper-1 ately to get a nurse to look after the sick babies at the Myers Kindergarten, and I slso two mors for the Technical College j ward," said Miss Bagley, "but so far, | have not succeeded. Too great emphasis j cannot be pli.ced on the urgency of the present position, which is undoubtedly approaching a crisis. The position is Una —unless the assistance we require is immediately forthcoming, Auckland will, 1 within the next few days, find itself once I more in the terrible position it was in 10 I days ago. This is no exaggeration ; it 18 a j danger that every person who can possibly help in the care of the sick, should be made immediately aware of, for all our wo-.-k will be undone, and the position will be even worse, unless relief is speedily lveD -" -D 1 111 support of her appeal, Mins Bagley stated that she had yesterday lost the services of three of her district nurses, two of whom had gone down with influenza, I while two more were at the very last stage. of their strength. Yet another will leave j |to-iiorrow to take on previously arranged j ! duties in Wellington. This is significant j j indication of the rapid approach of a crisis I of which ample warning has been given, I and to which attention has been per-1 j sistently drawn for the last week. The workers are doing more than would bo humanly possible under ordinary circumstances, but the breaking point is near. At St. Helens Maternity Hospital, the position is serious. The matron, and most of the patients, have been attacked by the malady, and for the last three weeks, there has been a staff of only six to meet tho needs of the institution. Urgent telegrams for trained assistance were despatched yesterday by Miss Badey ; in the meantime, a nurse has been detached from Northcote. Since the St. John .Ambulance Brigade took over the work of transportation, no fewer than 350 cases have been handled. Tho Rutland Street de»pot is one of the busiest places in town at the present time, find all workers are givine their most strenuous service. Even so, some of the more acute cases had not been overtaken yesterday. For both the brigade and the Women's National Reserve, which is still performing valiant work in the distribution of food, more motor-car assistance is required. Over 2001b of meat is being used every day for making soups and broths. A telegram stronglv urging that special arrangements should be made to euablo urgent messages to be transmitted bi telephone with reference to serious cases of illness was despatched yesterday by the Acting-Mayor of Devonport and the health officer for the district to the Pmtmaster General. The continued urgent need for trained nurses for duty in the temporary hospitals, and volunteer workers for afflicted households, was also emphasised by Dr. Frengley, acting-chief health officer. Plenty of work could be found, he said, for won,en who are willing to wash dishes and clean homes in which most of tho occupants ars unable to look after themselves. Male helpers are also wanted to assist with patients in all the temporary hospitals, in order to relieve the nurses and women assistants of the heavy work.