PLUNKET EVENING

Patea Mail, 2 May 1938, Page 3

PLUNKET EVENING

ADDRESS BY MISS AMY KANE

A large number of ladies were pres, ent in the Town Hall supper.room on Tuesday evening last to listen to an address by Miss Amy Kane, of. Welling, ton.

Mrs. R. W. Haddow, president of the Patea Pluniket Society, extended a ■welcome to Miss Kane, and to all pre. sent, and said that holding such social evenings every now and then, served the very good purpose of getting the mothers together. They were par. ticularly fortunate, said Mrs. Haddow, in having siiqh a well-known speaker as Miss Kane with them that even, ing. She was often heard on the radio, and is a member of the Welling, ton Hospital Board, and also represent, ed New Zealand at the Pan. Pacific Conference at Honolulu. She was, perhaps, 'the best known social worker in New Zealand. Before concluding Mrs. Haddow presented Miss Kane with a dainty shoulder spray of scar, let flowers.

Miss Kane, in her opening remarks, expressed pleasure at being present, and then went on to describe Egypt and Palestine, having stopped at those places en route to her destination, Turkey.

When she was in Cairo, said Miss Kane, she got iii touch -with the seere. tary of the Overseas League, who took her down to see poorer Cairo and the clinics. The clinics, said Miss Kane, are doing the same work, practically, ns the Plunket, that is, they look after the women, and Child Welfare is their aim. The clinics are run, as far as possible, on Plunket lines. They have a big nursery and cots for the tinics, and also a room for the bigger children to play in. The mothers in Cairo carry their children astride their shoulders, until they are about three or four years of age, consequently, the clinics have to teach children, even of four, to walk properly. The houses are very small and there is no room to run about. When the children come in they are put in a basket and hung on the wall until it is time for them to come down. Of course, this is only in the poorer homes.

The clinics wore started by a Plun. ket.trained nurse, and the problems that beset the nurses arc very difficult. They are fast training Arab girls to be nurses to children, something like the manner in which Karitane nurses are trained. The only thing is, one Jms to get them early as girls over there are usually married by the time they are fourteen or fifteen. Most of the girls are very dark, with swarthy com, plexions, but 'with very beautiful wjhite shining teeth. The hardest thing to teach them is to dry their clothes before putting hhem on. The general habit is to walk in. to a river, with your clothes on, wash yourself, still with your clothes on, and then walk out and let tjhe sun dry you. The sun is certainly very hot. The children are all very apt pupils, and Plunket work is spreading even in that part of the world. They are all mostly Moslems, and the law of divorce is very easy for men, but hard for women, and there is no law for pro. viding for children. But, for all that, it is a very fine country. ' The next place to be visited was ''Palestine; where the races of people i:re very mixed. They are a very extraordinary people, said Miss Kane. The finest building in the world of the Y.M.C.A., is in Palestine. All the social services are done by foreigners, and tiie hospitals are staffed with peo. pie of all races. • The French, German and Greek churches in Palestine are all very different. The people of Palestine gen. erally are not a bit fussy about sani. tation.

* Further interesting descriptions of Palestine were given, and in conclus. ion, Miss Kane said: "We think we do a great deal here in New Zealand, but when we go away and see the dif. flcuUics other countries have to surmount, it makes a very interesting study to watch them improve." (Ap, plause). Mr. Bamsbottom moved .that & very hearty vote of thanks be accorded Miss Kane for her interesting and instructive talk.

Mrs. T. E. Boberts, in seconding the motion, said it was very seldom that they got an address so far away from the orthodox method of Plunket talks, and remarked on how Miss Kune had kept to the same theme through, out.

Vocal items were then given by Miss.Ona Adams, Mrs. Stewart (Wav. Crley), and Mr. I. A. Jones, tfie ac. companist at the piano being Mrs. Haddow.

All items were appreciated by those present. A delicious supper 'was served, this bringing a most enjoyable evening to a close.