PLUNKET ACTIVITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20641, 13 August 1930, Page 13

PLUNKET ACTIVITIES.

CURTAILMENT OF GRANTS

PROTEST FROM SOCIETY/

POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER VOTE. [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL REPORTER.J WELLINGTON, Tuesday. ' The curtailment of the votes proposed for subsidies and grants to the Plunket Society formed the subject of a protest by members of the Dominion. council of the society who waited on ihe Prima Minister, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, and the Minister of Health, the Hon., A. Stallworthy, to-day. The Minister of Health stated there was a possibility of the society receiving a further grant in the Supplementary Estimates. The Prime Minister said that :ia' normal circumstances the Plunkct Society vote would be the last one cut down, bub at present there was a. call for economy all round. He was not yet certain how; the House would receive his proposal# for raising extra revenue.

Public Appreciation. On behalf of the council, Mr. J. -A« Johnstone, of Dunedin, said they considered their claim for a continuance of financial assistance from the State was justified by the public appreciation of tho services given and by. reason of thts fact' that already more than double the amount contributed by the State was raised annually by voluntary effort. Payments during the last financial year amounted to £55,792, toward which the State contributed £15,818. The payments met oa account of the Karitane hospitals wera £16,631, toward which £6750 was contributed by the State. The Mayor of Wellington, Mr. G. A# Troup, said the men of New Zealand were glad to assist the women in tha noble work they were doing for tha» ! women and children of the Dominion. They felt that before any reduction was made in the vote to the Plunket Society, every avenue should be explored.to raisa the necessary revenue. The Plunkefc Society should bo the last to suffer..— The Minister of Health said that, before any reductions were made the Estimates were carefully examined, but it had to be remembered that there was only a limited sum of money available for. th® purposes of the Health Department. It was unnecessary for him to dwell on thar valuable work which the society was doing. It was not correct to assume that' the society had beeD deprived of £6000.. As a matter of fact the shortage was only £IOOO, and it was possible that that amount would be 'made up in the Supplementary Estimates. A Matter ot finance.

The Prime Minister said the whol« question was one of finance. This year, they had to face a prospective falling o5 in revenue of £3,000,000, ' and* it' was necessary that every department should exercise the utmcst economy. They hoped that in another year the finances would be on an improved basis. No one realised more than lie did the value of the work the Plunket Society was doing, and iti was not his wish,to reduce the income of the. society. However, they had to bear; in mind that New"Zealand was passing through one of the most critical periods in its history, and it was . the duty olf everyone to be as economical as possible-j .As Prime Minister it was his duty to ask everybody, irrespective of the» work: they were doing, to watch their expenses and endeavour if possible to reduce them, to the absolute minimum. It was his um pleasant task to introduce measures in th« House with the object of making up deficiencies in the revenue, and he was notf at all certain how those proposals would be greeted. He was still hopeful that 36' would be possible to make some sort of. grant to the society. .

PROTEST IN THE HOUSE." * ' IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK, [BV TELEGRAM. —SPECIAL REPORTER;] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. There was a sequel to the deputation'* request in the House of Representative* to-day, when a vigorous protest at the proposal of the Government to economise -at the expense of the Karitane hospitals afid the Plunket Seeiety was voiced by Mr* J. A. Young (Reform—Hamilton). . Mr. Youiig stated that the maintenance giants to Karitane hospitals last year totalled £6750, whereas the vote provided this year was £SOOO. Further,.-ib ;< was proposed to reduce the subsidies toward the salaries of Plunket nurses from £16,500 to £13,050. The country could ,#■ not afford to reduce those votes,, for the , work was expanding all the time. The Minister of Education, the "Hon., H. Atmore, had held, out " against any, "cut" in the Education vote. While,v; Young agreed with that view, he:held ;ib was much more important that the assistance given to mothers and babies should not be reduced. He felt so strongly on the question that he proposed :to» that the salary of the Pnfector-Genersl'of Health should be reduced by £lO as al protest. . _ '' The chairman of committees, Mr. W.A. Bodkin: The motion will have to'b® considered when we are dealing with th» Health vote. . The Prime Minister, gave a reply similar to that made to the deputation, in which he indicated the hope that tlia grant made to the Karitane hospitals this year would practically be made up to last) year's amount. ' - y SALARIES OF MEMBERS.: .

REDUCTION AS ALTERNATIVE.

[BV TELEGRAPH.— SPECIAL REPORTER.]. WELLINGTON. Tueadayl " Let us start with ourselves," said H. G. Dickio (Reform—Patea), in silg« cesting in the House to-day that m preference to the Plunkefc Society vote b*n& cut, the honoraria of P?i* lianienfc should be reduced by 10 per cent., Mr. G. R. Sykes. (Reform —Masterton) . Onlv for single men. _ Unfortunately the bell rang on Dickie, who is a bachelor, so he was nofi . able to enlarge on the proposal.

WORK IN AUCKLAND.

PROGRESS IN PAST YEAR

Another year of active and successful work is recorded in the 22nd annual report of the Auckland branch of tha Plunket During, the year another nurse was added to the district! staff, bringing the number of permanent nurses to 14. A new district was opened from the off-shoots of the Edendale and Onehunga districts, to give relief to two- ... nurses who were being considerably overworked. / , ' ' The total number of visits to all centrcg was 96.286, comprising 48,142 adults*:;; 39,990 infants, and 8154 other cbildren<|§| New babv cases in the city and suburb^;% numbered" 1330 and at out stations 805<Mi a total of 21,35. A total: of 17,849 visits m was made to homes by nurses and was given in 733 additional cases; . -