PLUNKET SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21326, 29 October 1932, Page 12

PLUNKET SERVICES

CHARGE NOT DESIRABLE SCOPE FOR VOLUNTARY AID DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCE The question of making a charge for the services of Plunket nurses was further discussed at the annual conference of Auckland branches of the society yesterday, the general opinion being that to introduce even a nominal charge would be to defeat the purposes of the society, which "has no caste or creed, and is free to all," At tho same time it was considered that an appeal should be made to all benefiting by the society's work to assist in a voluntary manner wherever possible. "We feel that the burden of carrying on the society's work should be shifted more on to the shoulders of thoso who have benefited by it," said Mrs.A. M. Bisley, president of tho Hamilton in introducing a remit which suggested that the time had come to make a nominal charge for Plunket services. "There is no doubt that the general public -takes for granted the work that the Plunket Society is doing, and does not realise its responsibilities or obligations to the society. r lhe question is how to change the system without destroying the fundamental basis of tho society's work." Membership Urged Mrs. Bisley said that, in her opinion, a direct charge would be impossible. In the case of nurses' visits to mothers' homes, often essential if the baby was to be properly cared for, a nurse would be unable to make such visits if a charge were made, unless she was specially invited. The efforts of the society would thus be made impossible in the very cases where they were most needed. A suggestion was that as a rule each mother taking her baby to the rooms should be requested to become a member of the society. This would cost, only 5s a year or r a little over Id a week. The chief point was to bring before those financially able a sense of their responsibilities. Mrs. W. H. Parkes, who recently retired from the position of president of the Auckland branch, pointed put that in an overwhelmingly large proportion of cases, mothers who had been helped by the society showed their gratitude by financial assistance. "Otherwise we could never obtain the £3500 a year that we have to procure to supplement the Government's contribution," < Mrs. Parkes said. She added that when it was suggested that mothers purchasing the special l'lunket foods should put the odd change in a special collection box, a very large sum had been raised by this means. Letters were also sent to those mothers who had finished with the nurses' assistance, suggesting that they should become members of the society, and in very few cases were refusals given. Effect of Charges Mrs. Irving Robertson, in an interesting address on the founding of a system of motbercraft centres in Canada, said that every mother attending the advice rooms there was given service free, but she was asked for a membership fee of five dollars. Almost invariably this was forthcoming. "If a system of charges was introduced, they wAuld have to be purely nominal, in order to suit the purses of the poorest," Dr. W. H. Parkes pointed out. "The principle of voluntary giving, however, would disappear, and the charges, small as they would have to be, could not possibly keep the society going. No vote was taken on the question as the conference has no executive power in the matter.