OUR BABIES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16820, 24 August 1922, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

(By

HYGEIA.)

Published under the auspices of the ■Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Woipen and Children. ” It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” EIGHTH GENERAL CONFERENCE. The Eighth General Conference of the Royal New Zealand Society for the. Health of Women and Children was held in Wellington on July 25, 26. and 27. There was a large, assemblage of delegates—between 70 ancl 80—representing the various branches from Auckland to the Bluff. Airs J. H. Hesking, president, welcomed the delegates, and the Conference was opened by the Hon C. J. Parr, Alinister of Health and Education. THE AITXISTERS ADDRESS. Air Parr said he enjoyed these meetings with the Plunket Society ; he and the Society were co-workers in the welfare of the rising generation. Without good health, what was the-use. of the best education system in the world. UNFITNESS IN ENGLAND. It was dreadful to think that over a million children in England were so unfit a.s to be unable to receive the advantages of school training. Tn addition, half a million children suffered from malnutrition to such an extent that

they were incapable of benefiting from school life. Another halt million suffered from adenoids, enlarged tonsils, bad eyesight, and other defects which rendered them incapable of getting the best from school life. NEW ZEALAND C HILDREN. Asking how New Zealand compared in the matter, the Alinister said we would be foolish indeed it' we thought t-hat everything was as it should be. Everything was not right. There was far too much sickness, far too many infirmities and defects among the children, considering the natural advantages of this country. It was calculated that 20,000 out of the 200.000 children attending the schools were below normal in health therefore they were not getting the full advantage of school life as they would if they had had sound, well-nourished bodie>. He was rejoiced to see all around evidence of the, value of the work of the Plunket Society. The infant death rate was decreasing, but although the lowest in the world it was still too high. The Government was keenly alive to the necessity of health work and of health propaganda. No Government was doing more in this direction than the Government of this country. CHILD WELFARE. A child welfare department had been created two years ago. of which Dr Trwbv King was director. He travelled all over the country lecturing to parents, and lecturing to boys and girls g upon health matters, and in this wav * the gospel ot‘ preventive medicine was being prescribed. Ninety per cent ol the. troubles being created in the hospitals were preventive il only light and knowledge were more generally diftusI cl. A sum of £1.000,000 went out or. hospital expenditure, and halt ot it need not bo spent if we spread the gospel of preventive knowledge. TH E GOV ER X MEN T PAAI P H L ET. Referring to the Government pamphlet “The Expectant Mother and Baby's First Alonth.” Air Parr said: “I believe it L.- one of the most useful factors in your gospel of health. 1 am a great > believer in propaganda getting right into the homes-" He heartily we.lcom- (

ed the delegates to the Conference, the I deliberation of which lie trusted would be ol benefit to the people and the Government of New Zealand. The I Government was trying to help fiuan- I oiallv as well as with their moral sup- j port the Plunket organisation. Tin | ! Alinister congratulated the Sonet v j | upon the very successful year it had ; j com© through, and. he hoped it would j | meet with greater success in the coming j N KCESSIT Y OF SOI N D H K .VLTH. ! Dr Truby King, who moved a vote of ’ thanks to Air Farr, expressed his ap- ! precaution ol the work ol the I’lunkc. ! organisation. With the Minister he : that sound, v. ell-nouri~bed bodies were. ( the first consideration They were the first consideration in securing happi- j ness, success, and efficiency. INFANT AI OR TALI TV With regard to infant mortality and the question as to whether it was practicable to reduce the loss of 1500 babies a year down to 1000, ho held that it was feasible in the course of the nextfour or live years. assuming always that the Plunket Society continued its work with the same single-minded devotion as in the past. Half the haloes who died in New Zealand died in the , first ten clays. Pre-natal care and safeguarding the 1 mother in childbirth, with care of the child when it was born and during the first few weeks, would do much to minimise the death-rate. SOUND HEALTH VERSUS DISEASE With sound health established, disease conld make but little headway. Our first duty therefore, was t-o bring . ourselves to such a condition of sound i health that w© could withstand all the \ assaults of hostile microbes. GOVERNMENT GR ANTS. The generous treatment of the Government. with its contribution of 24s in

the £ towards the salaries oi the Plunkct Nurses, and its grants towards the maintenance of Karitane Hospitals, from which the supply of Plunket- and Karitane Nurses for the IVnninion wjs obtained, was much appreciated.