SAVING THE BABIES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2745, 14 April 1916, Page 2

SAVING THE BABIES

PLUNKET ANNUAL MEETING

The annual meeting of the New Zealand Society for the Health of AVomen and Children was held m No. 1 Committee Room of tho Town Hall last evening. There was an excellent attendance of members and those interested in the work of the society, and Sir Robert Stout presided. ' In'the absence, of the honorary secretary, Mrs. Hosking, the annual report and balance-sheet were read by Mr. Justice Hosking. Excellent _ progress was shown, the report statuig .that there arc now three nurses, engaged in the work. Thcv paid 4746 visits, and were consulted at the rooms by 406f mothers during the year. Before tho Petono branch was established, 9o visits were paid there, and 286 mothers received advice. Central rooms are now established at Courtenay Place, and are leased for. five years. In response to Lady French's appeal for babies clothing 2318 garments were sent to Great Britain for the Soldiers and Sailors Babies' Relief Fund. The Plunket nurses have also distributed 98 garments locally. Garments and patterns have been sent to various ladies and schools in the country districts, and much help is being given by them. No special.appeal for funds has been made this year, but many donations have been received, and the society is grateful to the Macarthy Trust for a grant of £'>00. The society is glad to see tho medical profession is taking a firm stand with regard to the milk supply, as the present system has been a constant drawback to its work. Thanks were due to Mrs. Massey for holding a sale of work for the benefit of the fund; also to Mrs. S. Kirkcaldie, who arranged a tournament on. the Hutt golt links for the same purpose; to -the City Council for the use of a room; the lion, solicitor and auditor; the.Railway Department for free passes for the nurses when visiting Petone and the Hutt; the tramway department foi concessions on nurses' tram passes; the Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs, for forwarding cases of'ckvtliing to Lady French; to Messrs. Kirkcaldie and Stains for packing and dispatching; to the -ladies who have held sewing bees, and to all workers. The .society would be very much encouraged if those who. give towards the funds would occasionally visit the rooms, and the nurses would be pleased to explain the work. The balance-sheet showed receipts amounting to £909 19s. '3d., of whicli tho Government gave a subsidy of £200 and the Macarthy. Trust £200. Subscriptions and donations came to £257 7s. lid. The expenditure amounted to £667 Bs. ,9d.. leaving a balance in the bank or £242'1s There was, also in the Post Office Savings Bank a balance of £150 of the Plmiket home account. In moving the addition of .the report and balance-sheet,. Sir Robert Stout congratulated the society "upon having aroused so much interest in its operations as was evidenced by the attendance in the.room that evening. Tho large number of visits that were paid by'the nurses and tho large number of mothers who sought the advice of the nurses showed how great an influence the Plunkot work'was. exercising upon the community. The society was doing a great national work, and it was a very hopeful sign that in the midst of the troublous times we were passing through it was not neglectmg this work. It had done, and was doing, much good work which was quite unknown to the nublic or to the newspapers. The Hon. J. G. W, Aitken, in second, ing the adoption of tho report and bal-ance-sheet, heartily endorsed all that the chairman had said. He thought it was quite possible that there were mothers who had more faith- in tho Plunkot nurses than they had in tho doctors. ... Dr. Line said that, so long as the Plunkot nurses distinguished between dietary troubles' and disease, handing the latter cases over to the doctors, they were on safe ground,- but whon they cVmsm! to distinguish, between them their usefulness suffered. Cpn< timiing, he' spoke of the troubles that were to bo niet with on account of the bad milk supply in AVcllington, and pointed out the difference that existed between tho system for distributing milk in Duncdin and in this city. Tho milk when distributed in the mornings here was anything but fresh. One man had told him that if the City Council did not .charge suburban rates for his property ho could then afford to deliver fresh milk. Dr, Line spoke strongIv against'the Habit tliat many mothers liacl of allowing their children to drink milk witli their food, especially when that food was of a starchy nature. It should be drunk at tne cnu of the meal. Children should .be taught to chev/, not to wash their.food down in this "'■llie election of officers resulted as follows:—President, the Countess of bias. gow (in the place of Mrs. Algar Williams, who is resigning); vice-presidents, Mrs. W. F. Massey, Lady Stout, Mrs. ' J. P. Luke, Mrs. A. K, Atkinson, Mrs. Macarthy Keid, Mrs. Fitehett, Mrs. M 1 Vicar, and .bady Gibbes; committee, Rev. Mother AuUerfc, Mrs. F. H. Chapman, Mrs. W. J. Grey, Mrs. Urngan, Mrs. S. Kirkcaldie, Mrs. F. Leckio, Mrs. Winder, Mrs. Coull, Mrs. G;.J.;Reid, Miss Inglis, Miss Stewart, Miss R ey, Mrs. W. F. Ward, Mrs. Pousonby, Mrs. Harcourt, Miss Peach, Miss Cable, Miss Clarke, Miss- Barnett, Airs. J. lripe, Mrs 0. M. Luke, Mrs. Glover, Mrs. W Luke, Mrs. M'Lean, Mrs. Cook, Mrs Fell, Mrs. Malcolm Ross, Mrs. G. E Richardson, Mrs. Ewen, Mrs. Anderson; hon. physicians, Dr. llatteMills Dr. Edith Huntiy, Hon Dr. Collins, Dr. ltawson, Dr. Mackie Degg, Dr. II 6 Whyte, Dr. Tenuant, Dr. Bowerbank,' Dr. Gibbs. Dr Robert Stout, Dr. T D. M. Stout, Dr. lolhurst, Dr. Cahill, Dr. l'utcic, Dr. Line, Dr. Arthur, Dr. Giesen; hon. secretary, Mrs. Hosking (re-elected); hon treasurer, Miss Kirkcaldie (re-elected). The retirement of Mrs. Algai Vwl- , liams from the oilice of president of tho society, was received with great regret, ; o ry hearty tributes to tho enthusiastic ind able way in which she had worked during the six years in which she had b"en associated with it, being paid by the Mayoress (Mrs. J. I>. Luke) and ' Mrs. Fitehett. Tho vote ot thanks , which the latter proposed for Mis. AA - • iams's services .was seconded and oss»d with much heartiness. The hope •as expressed that at a future wno Ms Akir Williams would again resume her position with the society. ! ",, replv, Mrs. Williams thanked tho meeting for the appreciative remarks |,H had been made m regard to her : o'l-k, and of hergreat regret ni leaving ■ t Had it not been for the iact that • s„'e. would be leaving Wellington later on to «vc in Chrwtchnrch during Jm time that the war lasted, she would not 'vPgivoiMipawork.nwlucishe. was , so Amply interested. She felt very . stronglv si'ViUK lb U P- , . , ' Tt was then proposed and carried i that Mrs. AVilliams be elected ft vices Apologies for absence were received from Mrs W. F. Massey, Dr. Collins, M™Mve.s, Airs. Leckie Mrs Winder, - Mrs. Hike, and Dr. Plaits-Mills.

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