FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 84, 25 June 1930, Page 5

FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

>*EW PLUNKET SOCIETY BOOMS.

OPENED.

CONVENIENT AND CHEERFUL

BUILDING The new rooms of the Plunket Society in Juliet Street were officially declared open yesterday, afternoon by the Mayor (Mr, P, Thomson), The building looks small from the outside, but on entering it is found that there is plenty of room for the operations of the Nurse. The waiting room, in the front of the building, is alxyiit sixteen feet square, and receives ample light from windows facing west and north. Behind this are the consulting room and the nurse's private room and storeroom, where roomy cupboards provide ample storing space. These rooms also have good light, and the whole of the furniture and fittings give the place a bright and cheerful appearance. WOMENFOLK'S WORK. It had been hoped, said Mr. Thomson, that that day's ceremony might have been performed by Sir Truhy King, but his departure overseas had made this impossible, and it was also found impossible to get .Lady Bledisloe to officiate, so that the duty had devolved on himself; but surely a! Mayor could have no more pleasant duty than to be called upon to express the appreciation of the community's womenfolk and their work. The Plunket Society bad been formed in Dunedin in 1907 by Dr. Truby King, who, for his work among the women and children of the land, had been honoured with a knighthood. In 19Q7 the. deaths of infants under twelve months of age were 88.8 per thousand of babies born alive, in! 1917 the figure was reduced to 48.2, in 1927 to 38.4 and in 1928 to 36.18. Whilst there had been several 'factors, contributing to this remarkable decrease in infant mortality, he thought it could bo claimed and could not be gainsaid, that this very satisfactory result had been in large measure brought about by the existence of the Plunket Society and by the work of its enthusiastic members. VALUE OF THE SOCIETY.

The Year Book of 1927 acknowledged that during tl|e previous twenty years the inflant mortality rate had shown rapid improvement and that the improvement had heen due to the operations of the Plunket Society, whose methods were being adopted (to tajn everMncreasing extent in other countries. Great stress had been laid on the importance of the country's humanitarian legislation, in providing old-age pensfens, making easier the declining years of needy citizens,but, giving all credit to our legislators for this provision, it could be claimed that still great, er honour was due to the founders and members of the Plunket Society for their work among the mothers and infants of the country. Their work conferred benefits for a lifetime. It was pleasing to know that the Society was supported by all women, whether mothers or not. HIISTORY OF THE SOCIETY.

The work in Stratford was started by Sir Truby in 1913, as a branch of Hawera. Four of the. original members of the Society were still members—Mesdames A W Budge, H E. Abraham, R. Masters and L Riera and were still taking an active interest in its work. The first-Plunket Nurse in Stratford was Nurse Stronach. Later Stratford launched out on its own, and appointed its own nurse, Nurse Wake. The work was carried out in the Foresters' Hall, then in the Municipal Buildings and more recently in /the rented bulding in Juliet Street. Now they were opening the freehold property which had been secured, and that it was necessary was proved by the fact that there were 500 babies in Strat. ford and 265 in Eltham under the care of Nurse Paynter. The land had been purchased for £167, and the cost of the building, except for a balance of £2OO, had been found by the Society.. Great credit was due to the Society's committee, to the Advisory Board, to the architect (Mr. J. D. Healy) and to the contractor (Mr. J. W. Boon). The treasurer of the Society had told the speaker that whereas the Society had 25 members when it was founded, today it liad only 63, and had asked him to append to all women to be. come members &t 5s per annum. He would appeal to those mothers who had had benefit from the Society's operations to bring r in other members and so increase the gaiety's benefits to the community. I n declaring the building open, Mr.. Thomson expressed the hope that all the babies of the community might be bonnie babies, grow to be fine lads and lassies and become fine men and Mrs., Thomson (then opened *&e door of the building being preset T r g « d^. as a —ento by Mr* I, .1, Curtzs, president of th e Society, who acknowledged the Mavor s remarks in a few «,«ii i word.. IGW * eII -<*°sen