THE FARMERS’ UNION.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17752, 2 July 1929, Page 5

THE FARMERS’ UNION.

WOMEN’S DIVISION. The fourth annual conference of the Division opens in Wellington on July 23, when delegates from about 70 branches of the Division will assemble. Invercargill, the largest branch in New Zealand, hopes to have a membership of 500 before that date. Its president, Mrs Niederer, has done much to hold the interest and enthusiasm of South Island members to the work of the division as a whole. The usual monthly meeting of the Hamilton branch will be held in the Y.M.C.A. Rooms, Bryce Street, on Friday, July 5, beginning at 12.30. As this is the last meeting before the Dominion Conference we expect to have a copy of the programme to be gone through' there, with the remits sent in by the various branches, before us for discussion.

A matter which will probably be well ventilated is that of dentistry in schools and the injustice which most country children are suffering under the present system. A recent decision made by the Education Department has been the extension of dental treatment to the pupils of private schools. Will this mean that country children, particularly those of the back-blocks, wall be excluded for a longer period, while provision is being made for treating all these town children ? Our division has always favoured the dental caravan system as the best means of bringing this service into rural districts. We are pleased to know that the Auckland Education Board is also in favour of this «ystem and has been making enquiries about the operation of such a service in Queensland. Here they And that it is proving a great success as is also the case in Canada.

The practicability of the scheme has l'urther been proved by Dr. J. Eagan of the Dental Department, who has been carrying on such a service between Helensville and Whangarei, travelling from school to school, making a small charge for his services. His work has been warmly praised by both school committees and parents.

The sharp contrast betw-een the way public money is spent in the towns and in the back-blocks can be understood by thinliing over the following extract from the letter of an out-back mother: —“The school which my children attend and our tiny post office were both built by the settlers. Wc keep entirely at our own expense ponies to get the children to school — no small item when they have to be chaff fed in the winter. Our children have never seen a Government health officer or dentist and seldom see an inspector.” Is it not time that some of the money which is freely spent on public welfare went to help and encourage these neglected settlers?”