LOCAL LIABILITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17108, 14 November 1929, Page 7

LOCAL LIABILITY

SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE ULTIMATUM TO COMMITTEES Unless the committees of the Gisborne and suburban schools, take over the con-

trol of the institution the local dental clinic will be closed at the end of this jiear, and the service, which has proved of inestimable value to the children ol the district its inception in 19-J, will be discontinued —such is the substance of an ultimatum received by the committees from the Hawke's Bay Education Boat'd. When the committees first received advice that responsibility for the clinic would be theirs in future it was unanimously resolved to refuse to accept that responsibility, the committees being sufficiently hard-pressed as it is in raising sufficient money to keep the grounds in older and meet other expenditure outside the capitation allowance. for .the purpose of explaining the matter to the committees, however, Mr. Elliott, representing, the Division of Dental Hygiene, was sent up to Gisborne, and last evening he met the chairman of the Gisborne committees in an informal discussion It was recognised that some steps would have to be taken to prevent the service being discontinued, and it was agreed that a combined meet ing of committees should he held on Monday evening to elect, if possible, a dental clinic committee to control the institution. There were present at last evening’s meeting: Mr, C. W. Muir, chairman of the Gisborne Central School Committee, Mr. John Jackson, chairman of the Te Hapara committee, Air. Geo. Crawshaw, chairman of the Kaiti committee, and Mr. J. C. Hardy, •chairman of the Awapuni committee, an apology being received from Mr. C. G. Bavliss. chairman of the Mangapapa committee. 1500 TREATED ANNUALLY.

- In the course of the discussion it was

agreed that it would be nothing short of a calamity if the clinic were to be 'closed down now when the people were just beginning to appreciate its great worth. The clinic was iirst established in 1924, and since that year the amount of attention given to the children, had it not been free, would have cost the parents about £IO,OOO. The two nurses who are at present engaged in the Gisborne clinic attend to approximately children annually, and it is felt that a third nurso is required to bring the work up to date. The situation, as outlined at last evening’s meeting, is that a .point has now ’been reached where the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, because of the drain On its 'finances, has announced that it cannot continue to pay the upkeep of the clinic, and the responsibility now fails upon the committees. The committees, however, are in a state of impecuniosity. and are experiencing great difficulty ir raising sufficient money to keep the school grounds in order; nor can the committees appeal to the parents for furthei financial support. Mr. Elliott referred to the increasing demands from districts throughout the Dominion for dental clinics, and while the Government was prepared to find its quota, the nurses would have to be sent elsewhere if the local committees were not prepared to do, likewise. In order to put the matter on a proper basis here, it would be necessary for the committees to erect a suitable build-

ing for the accommodation of the clinic, and that building would have to be erected on Government ground—probably at the Gisborne Central School. The Government was prepared to provide £9 for £1 subsidy on the money raised by the committees, and as the cost of the building would be approximately £350. the amount to be found locally would not exceed £l2O. The Government would Sthe salaries of the nurses and pro > the equipment and materials required, and the committees would be responsible for the general upkeep, i.e., laundering, cleaning the premises, electric light and gas, water rates, and rent (if any), wh : ch exnenses would Amount to roughly £4O per annum, PUBLIC SUPPORT NEEDED

The chairmen who attended last evening's meeting, however, had no authority from their committees to incur any liability on behalf of the people of the district, and it was for the purpose ol reconsidering the position that the meet ing on Monday was decided upon. The full position will then be disclosed to the committees, and the election of a dental clinic committee from members of the School committees or others will be dis cussed, with a view to appealing to the ‘public for support in the matter of re gaining the dental staff and erecting the necessary building. No doubt, as Mr. Elliott said, the quality of tho work now being donp amongst the children was above reproach, and its economic worth to the future manhood and womanhood of the race went without saying. The policy of the Government could not be altered. The Government had not the money to estab lish clinics in response to all the claims that were being made, and the committees would have to help themselves Other committees in New Zealand who were .clamoring for nurses would get them if they were prepared to help, and the Gisborne district would suffer if the committees were not ready to accept the responsibility that was to be placed upon them. It was mentioned at the meeting that in New Zealand to-day there are 300,Uu0 school children eligible for treatment in the clinics, and at .present only 42,00. are being treated, so that the service, in fact, is only in its infancy. Mr. Elliott visited the dental clinic al Ruatori.l to-day.