WELLINGTON NOTES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16614, 9 December 1919, Page 2

WELLINGTON NOTES.

STATE MEDICAL SERVICE. WIDOWS’ PENSIONS. TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT., WELLINGTON, Deo. 9. The Medical Board, at its last meeting, considered the question of a arate medical service for outlying districts. Dr. Makgdl, actnm-Chief Health Officer, placed before the board copies of two memoranda which he had' sent to District Health Officers on the subject, and also the communication ha had received from Dr Ferguson. He stated that he was anxious to co-oper-ate with the medical profession in any steps which might be taken to establish a State Medical Service Board, and agreed that a State medical service would eventually come in New Zealand and he considei ed that it would be wise for the profession to take_ an interest in the matter with a view • to seeing that it was established along the right lines.

In referring to the allowance to epidemic widows, the Public Health Journal states: “Allowances are not given to widow 0 in oases where the children are placed in homes, the woman herself being in good health and quite able to work. The allowance is given for the purpose of enabling children to have a mother’s care and attention and home upbringing. The allowance has certainly not been given to enable women to get rid of tfieir responsibilities in this respect. Peculiar situations have, however, sometimes arisen. Take for example a case which came before the Department of a woman with two children aged nine and eleven The woman goes to work at a local hotel returning at night. Her two children are at school during the day, and the case is therefore entirely different from the case of a woman with infants, or very young children who require their mother’s care and attention, and could not be left by themselves. If a hard and fast rule were adhered to, this woman’s allowance of £1 5s a week would have to be stopped, which would mean that she would probably he working for nothing as she would hardly ha receiving more than this amount for the work she was doing. It is presumed that she would undohutedly prefer to receive £1 os a week without having to work, and such a hard and fast rule, therefore, would tend to place a premium on laziness in cases such as this.

The Blinister has approved, of the boards being informed, that, though they should not give the full allowance of £1 Ss a week, they would be allowed to give an allowance up to_ Ids 6d per week, each case being specially reviewed after a lapse of. say, 12 months.