SOCIAL PROBLEMS

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18419, 27 June 1925, Page 9

SOCIAL PROBLEMS

DISTRESSING CASES MET

WITH.

WORK OF SOCIAL WELFARE GUILD.

Some interesting remarks were made at the annual meeting of the* Social A\ el fare Guild yesterday by the president, Mrs Annie E. Herbert, who said that the problems encountered by members of the Guild were well-nigh overwhelming, and it was pleasing to know that the Guild was working with, all other similar organisations in the city. Somo people were most abominable frauds, and they visited the organisations endeavouring to get something under false pretences. Very seldom a day passed, without a call being received by the speaker from people telling all about some sad case. Mrs Herbert said that 6he knew many of these people quite well by the description; and could always identify them. One woman in particular had several names. She looked very nice, and got, by-false pretence, goodness knows . how many cups of tea. and eatables per day from those on whose susceptibilities she worked. The Guild did not know how to deal with such people. Referring to the nursing of consumptives, Mrs Herbert 6aid that there was no danger in nursing such patients if the proper precautions were . taken. But what was the use of building sanatoria if people did not do their best to prevent contraction of th© disease? There was a case in point of a very infectious man patient who had been in the Coronation Hospital. After he had been discharged from the institution he went home and lived with his wife and three children',, the house being a very* old one. He was accustomed- to expectorate all about the place, sharing the same room as his wife and family. He took absolutely ho precautions whatever. These people left the house and another family went into it. The speaker communicated with the Health, Department as soon as she heard of the matter. Later the second maa wjio went into that house was the victim of T.Bv, aaid consequently his-wife and family were, a burden onthe ratepayers. Old. dilapidated houses, the walls of which consisted very often of scrim and paper, should be. stripped in such circumstances. The speaker said that she knew of numerous other cases, and it was high time paid women inspectors were instituted. Such inspectors would have better access to houses than men, and wcrald be better able to find out all the conditions, surrounding particular cases. " If such' a step were taken the whole community would benefit.

Drug. Addicts. A groat evil that had com© strongly under the public notice lately had been the drug habit. Addicts were becoming more and more frequent. A case was quoted of the death of a young drug, addict in Auckland, reported in yesterday's issue of "The Press." Another young man, said the speaker, had been able to purchase drugs anywhere. He had given a drug to a friend, and it had resulted'in his death. She knew of-* the case of a Christchurch woman who obtained £2 worth of a. narcotic every week. She had como to the speaker pleading to know how to overcome liar craving s and get rid of the habit.. The dose this woman took was' 10 grains per day, whereas the ordinary dose given iby a doctor ■■•was/ one-sixth; of .a grain. When these people' were taken to the Hospital they ;Game-out again l directly the.craving re-', "turned, and the doctors said that they were a great bother to deal with. But the woman referred to was anxious to break herself of the habit, and, she. Was pleased to say, had nob had' any drug for some time. Among other cases there was that of a "young chemist of 22 years of age, who was wandering round the country trying to obtain narcotics' from the various country hospitals. "Something-must certainly be done to tighten the 1 regulations,'' said Mrs Herbert. "These men aro not supposed to be able to obtain the drug, hut they do all the same." "Undesirable Immigrants. Referring to the immigration question, Mrs Herbert said that the people assisted Iby the . Government were all right so long as they belonged to the right claBS. She had been struck by the number of undesirable immigrants I who were coming out. Some of them were .nominated by people who were themselves receiving charitable aid and were assisted .by the Guild. The person nominating was supposed to bo in a position to help the nominee until he or she got a footing. She quoted several cases of undesirable types who spent all, their time in and out of the hotels, and were utterly useless in any sphere of work: They should urge the Government to seel that the immigrants were examined medically before they left England./ Some of them brought T. B. with 1 them. There was quite enough of that disease in New Zealand without'more of it being brought f.rem other countries. Some of the people had been known to "apply, for admission to the Sanatorium before they had been in New Zealand a week. In fact, one case was known where.a person had come out herewith the express purpose of getting into the Sanatorium.

The V.D. Question. Then there was the big problem of venereal disease: Restrictions on sufferers must, said/ Mrs Herbert, : apply equally to both sexes. Some of those affected were in all sorts of , rjlaces, handling various foodstuffs. Yet those who went for treatment had not been compelled to keep it up. Hundreds of people had gone for treatment once or twice and then stopped, but it wai» pleasing to see now that the regulations would be enforced. Housing Difficulties. The housing position was not so acute now as it had been a few years ago, said the speaker. But rents were still high. The man who had to pay 255, 30s, and 35s a week had not much left for the support of a wife and family. There were cases of poverty in Christchurch where the children had their beds covered with sacks, as the parents were too poor to buy sheets or blankets. But Christchurch, concluded the speaker, was fortunate in having many local bodies such, as the Social Welfare Guild and other organisations, which were working hard to ibetter the conditions she had referred to.