WELL BEING OF MOTHERS

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1930, Page 6

WELL BEING OF MOTHERS

OBSTETRICAL SOCIETY’S APPEAL.

HAWERA LENDS READY HELP.

“Matters pertaining to maternal welfare were discussed at a meeting of over 60 women in Hawera yesterday, when Dr. Doris Gordon, secretary of the New Zealand Obstetrical Society, gave an important address. The Mayoress (Mrs. E. A. Pacey), who convened the meeting, presided.

Thanks to all who had attended from all parts of South Taranaki were expressed by Mrs. Pacey, when introducing Dr. Gordon. The New Zealand Obstetrical Society was a branch of the British Medical Association to which about 200 New Zealand doctors belong, said Dr. Gordon. It dealt with problems of maternal welfare and aimed at lowering maternal mortality. It was hoped to provide a chair of obstetrics at Otago University and to pay for a professor. .A “The Government,” she said, “has just granted the sum of £50,000 for the erection of a new and up-to-date maternity hospital in Dunedin. That is the Government’s pledge of its earnest desire to reduce maternal mortality and maternal disability in New Zealand. The people of New Zealand are going to be asked next March to show their earnestness to reduce the maternal risks of their womenfolk by contributing the sum of £25,000 as an endowment fund for the midwifery department of the Dominion Medical School. The Obstetrical Society, with the approval of the authorities of the medical school, has inaugurated the appeal and is asking all the women’s organisations in the Dominion to assist us in the attainment of this fund. Queen Mary recently asked all women subjects in her Dominions to interest themselves in the efforts to reduce maternal mortality. Lady Alice Fergusson has granted her patronage to this New Zealand appeal, and I am pleased to say that as far as we have yet organised the appeal through New Zealand we have met with the heartiest support from representatives of all the women's organisations. “Our idea in brief is to get as many big subscriptions as we can and at the same time to so organise the campaign in every town that any woman interested can give her mite. We speak of the women giving, because it is especially a women’s appeal. The small silver collection will doubtless come direct from the women’s pocket money. The majority of larger subscriptions will come through a chivalrous husband’s bank account because his wife has brought this matter to his notice and he is giving for the sake of his wife, his sister or his daughter. There is scarcely a family man who is not touched with this appeal. “Sir Lindo Ferguson, Dean of the Medical School, pointed out that Dunedin had within recent years given, £30,000 to its medical school, and suggested that this time we organise the campaign in the North Island and let the movement spread downwards to Otago. We have decided to ask the provinces to collect their ratio of the total £25,000 needed on a rough population basis: Auckland £7500, Wellington £7500, Canterbury £5OOO, Otago £5OOO. We have committees organised now in Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth and Hamilton. We hope to have committees ail over New Zealand ready to collect simultaneously at a given date in March, when we will start with widespread publicity and try to boom the whole campaign for one or two weeks and get what we can in a short, sharp, well-organised campaign. There is much to say for a universal appeal all over New Zealand at one given date.” The following committee was elected: Chairwoman, Mrs. W. M. Winks; treasurer and acting secretary, Mrs. J. W. Harding; committee, Mrs. White, Mrs. Good, Mrs. Emmitt, Mrs. P. O’Dea, Mrs. Smitheram (Harleyville), Mrs. R. G. Sinclair, Mrs. Velvin, Mrs. E. A. Pacey, Mrs. Jobson, Mrs. J. N. Henry. It was also a resolution of the meeting to request Mrs. W. M. Thomson to act on the committee and also that four vacancies be held open for two representatives of the Women’s Division of the Farmers’ Union and two representatives of the Women’s Club. Mrs, Pacey thanked P Gordon for her very interesting address and for the answers given to the questions asked and the discussion brought about. It was decided to hold a further meeting on Thursday, January 30, to plan the campaign for Hawera. PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. J. N, Andersb.n, Hawera, and his son, Mr. S.' Anderson, have returned to Hawera from an Enjoyable motor tour in the north. I Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Stamp, who have | been the guests of Mrs. Smitheram at' Hurleyville, return to Blenheim to-day. Mr, S. C. Tonka, of Hawera, is leaving by car for Wellington' to-day. Mr. W. W. Gabites, manager at Hawera of the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., has resumed duties after his recent illness. OEO PERSONAL ITEMS. ?'r. and Mrs. Hunt, Remuera, Auckland, are visiting Geo, and are the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Simpson. Miss Hughes is visiting Mrs. Henwood. Mrs. Jenkins has returned from a visit ■to her brother, Mr. Ken Fraser, Rotorua. '