PLUNKET SOCIETY WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18996, 18 April 1925, Page 12

PLUNKET SOCIETY WORK

ACTIVITIES IN WAIKATO. REVIEW OF PAST YEAR. EXTENSION OF INTERESTS. ] [by telegraph.—own ro.-uu-troNDENT. 1 HAMILTON. Friday. Tho annual meeting of tho Hamilton ; branch of the New Zealand Plunkct Soj ciety was held in tho Y.M.C.A. buildings this afternoon, Mr. J. A. Young, M.P., ■ presiding over a fair attendance. Tho report stated that good work and j progress had been maintained during the ' year. Tho financial position, however, was v not as good as in previous years on ac- , count of tho Health Department's restrici tions preventing the holding of tho usual ; sale of work. A donation .of £25 had I been made by the society to tho Auckland Karitane Home and had been used to fur- , nish a room to be known as tho " Hamilton " room. Owing to tho growth of the work in the Frank ton area a committee [ had been formed in that district to for- , ward tho society's interests there. With reference to the site for the , Plunket- rooms it was reported that tho borough council had set aside an area at the hack of the main library in Victoria ' Street overlooking the river but, owing to legal difficulties, it could not bo handed [ over to tho society at a " peppercorn " . rental uutil an Act of Parliament had , been passed authorising this to be done. • The necessary steps were, however, being taken. Tho nurses' report showed that 1142 , babies had received attention, 487 being new cases. Tho number of homes visited was 733, while 10,024 visits were received at the rooms and 2uo letters answered. Visits had been paid to sub-branches as | follows:- Matamata, 46; Morrlnsville, 44; Te Aroha, 9; Putaruru, 17; Rotorua, 1; The balance-sheet showed a credit balance of £197. In moving tho adoption of the report and balance-sheet Mr. Young remarked on the extension of the work undertaken ; by the society in contending against muter- . nal and infant mortality. Up to the present, said Mr. Young, the society had only looked after expectant mothers, and , the children after birth, but it was now proposed to train 200 nurses at Dunedin per year and next year 100 at Christchurch, 100 at Auckland, and 50 at Wanganui and in three years this would ; cover all the mid wives in New Zealand, The suggestion of this training, which would take the form of one month's intensive and up-to-date training for all maternity nurses in New Zealand, had met with the approval of the Government when placed before it by a deputation from tho society's conference. Mr. Young stated that Parliament had met all the society's requests to the extent of about £34,000. The following officers were elected for the ensuing year .-—President, Mrs. H. A. Young; vice-presidents, Mesdames H. Valder, V. Chitty, M. Bell, C. Holloway and W. McNicol; hon. secretary, Mrs. P. Cowles; hon. treasurer, Mrs. F. Wickery; committee, Mesdames, T. Bullock, J. A. Young. W. Huime, A. H. Tompkins, A. Sanford, P. C. Fowler, T. J. Mitchell, D. Hay, J. Hughson, E. Stace, A. M. Bislev; P. K. Stewart, E. J. Page, A. Ramsay, E. W. Platts, A. Beale, E. Brown, and G. Boyes; advisory board, Dr. Spencer, Mr! J. A. Young, MP. ; M. G. Bell, F. Burley, O. Farrer and E. P Cowles; hon. auditor, Mr. R„ English; delegates to tho annual conference.' Mesdames M. 8011. J. A. Young, and Mr ,7 A. Young, M.P.