The Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1908. MATERNITY HOMES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9307, 6 August 1908, Page 2

The Star. THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 1908. MATERNITY HOMES.

The subject of St Helens Homes has been before Parliament on two occasions recently, and on each charges were brought against the management which i were promptly refuted by the Minister. Apparently there is considerable want of knowledge in regard to the working of these homes, and it would be well before wild attacks are made upon them that their detractors familiarised themselves with the facts. The lady who " buried ten of her own and ought to know " is no longer considered a fit person to attend a maternity case. She and her methods have been legislated out, and the certificated nurse has com© in her stead. During the unemployed agitation some of the speakers said that the cost of bringing a baby into the world was so high that poor parents found it prohibitive, hence the decreasing birth-rate. It was in answer to such arguments that the Government stepped in and established i in the four centres the St Helens Maternity Homes, in which a mother can obtain medical care and expert nursing for £1 10s a week and a complete fortnight's treatment for £3. Where the families have been large and the breadwinners' wages low, concessions have been made on these rates. Since the institution of the homes the accommodation has generally proved sufficient, and no serious complaint has been made as to the treatment. Thanks to these institutions a mother need not leave her own home to secure skillet! attention at a modest fee. The St Helens de- , partment's staff of nurses go. to the , honi«e of the people, and if tho case is ono unattended by any special complications a sister takes charge of it, a doctor not usually being necessary. This nursing costs £1 a week, with ( visits twice a day for three days and ' once a day for ten days, tho assumption being, of course, that there is ! som co-no in the house to cook for the mother. Should a medical man be re- ; quired a Hospital officer may be secnr- ' ed, but if another is obtained his fee is £3 3s. It has never been charged . against the medical profession in the ■ dominion that in tho matter of fees it < has ground the faces of the poor. This < out-door treatment can ooily bo given when tho patients' homes are reasonably near the centre; patients at a ( distance are advised to apply in time ] for accommodation in the main home. Women in the country are certainly at a disadvantage in this respect, but the Health Department is doing its best • to place trained and properly qualified nurses at the disposal of mothers in rural districts. The Midwives Act was not passed too soon. Its object was to prevent incompetent persons from endangering the- lives of mothers and infants, and it is now being enforced stringently. Its provisions were not by any means harsh. Those women who could show a record of proficient service were allowed to register within a given time. That time has now expired, and no unregistered midwife can practise, though under a doctor's supervision she may net as a nurse.