SAVE THE BABIES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2954, 18 December 1916, Page 9

SAVE THE BABIES

HON. G. W. RUSSELL ANNOUNCES A CAMPAIGN. The Minister of Public Health is interesting himself in infant life protection, and ho intends to go on with a, ''save tho babies" campaign. In the course of conversation with a reparter on the subject, Mr. Russell said he had addressed meetings in the north in connection with tho Royal Society for the Health of Women and Children. He had addressed a large meeting at Auckland on Sunday, and another at Hamilton on Tuesday night, bringing forward the full facts regarding our shrinking birthrate and the necessity for making a. special effort at tho present time to savo every child life in the country, and see that children were born under tho best possible conditions. In closing his address at Auckland he had stated that a campaign would: be undertaken during the last week in January throughout the Dominion for the purpose of raising funds foi' what ho had described as the "Savo the Babies Fund." Since then it had been represented to him that the date fixed for the effort was rather too early, as peoplo would not have settled down to work after their New Year holidays. Therefore lie proposed to alter the date to tho week ending the last Saturday in February (February 24). "I hope to place myself in communication with the Bishops and! other leaders of the Churches in New Zealand, and solicit the assistance of the whole of tho Churches in New Zealand for tho fund," said tho Minister. "I trust tliafc many of them will see their way to preacli appropriate sermons on tho Sunday preceding tho date fixed for the appeal. The assistance of the women's organisations throughout the country, including the National Reserve, will be sought, and I hope to secure the assistance of tho Commercial Travellers' Associations of Nc\v Zealand, which have done so splendidly in the way of patriotic effort. If anything liko the interest I anticipate is taken in tho scheme, a very large sum of monoy should bo obtained. It appears to me that no more patriotic effort could bo mado than an endeavour to reduce the infantile death-rate in this country and assist the mothers. The details will bo worked out at an early date, and 1' sincerely liopo that tho wholo country will respond to the effort that is to be made for the purpose stated."