SAVING THE BABIES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 174, 12 April 1918, Page 3

SAVING THE BABIES

HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN

ANNUAL MEETING

The anntiul meeting of the Hoyal Now Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children was held last evening in tiin Accountants' Chambers, Johnston Street. Sir Robert Stout, K.C.M.G., presided, at tbo request of Jlr.s. \\. F. Mnssny- (president of the Wellington branch of the society). Tho''animal report presented by the lion, secretary, Miss Earnett, was as follows:— "Kaoh year a greater number of mothers take every opportunity of visiting ths rooms, so much so that it was found necessary to open the rooms on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings, from ten to twelve, and every afternoon as well. 'Save the babies' is the gveat crj to-day; .and undoubtedly the advice and assistance given by the PJunket nurses is doing much, to build up tho infant life of the country. The four nurses, namely, Nurses Seater, Mitchell, Clifford, andSignall, are always busily occupied in their respective districts. We regret very much.tho loss sustained by this branch in the resignation of Nurse Neale owing to ill-health. The nurses report the following ifor tho year's work:—Visits to homes, 4924; visits to rooms, 6238; mothers shown how to prepare numanised milk, 380; advice given to expectant mothers, 76; babies breast fed, 416; partially broast fed, '223; artificially- fed, 252; letters received, 169. The month of. March is always, a record month, and 589 mothers visited the rooms. It was a source of great gratification to this committee that' His Majesty - had recognised the valuable service of Dr. Tniby King in including his name among this year's birthday honours. Since then he has been requested to go to London to take charge of the Marlborough School of Motliercraft. The committee has much pleasure in congratulating our president, Mrs. "W. F. Massey, ou receiving a well-merited war honour for her ever ready services. In the last week of October a Dominion Baby Week Campaign was opened most successfully by Her Excellency Lady Liverpool in the Concert Chamber of tho Town Hall, and His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. l>. Luko, M.P., C.M.G.) presided. Sewing bees fiave been held four times a month at Mrs. jolm Kirkcaldie's and Miss Barnett's, and 1124 garments have beon made and mostly distributed locally. The War itelief Association of Wellington since last August havo made a monthly grant of £5 towards the material fund. We have also to thank Miss Hall and her pupils (Normal School) for their continuous help in making garments, Clyde Quay School, Dannevirke, Hamua, Ekotahuna, Waiorongoniai, and other country schools. A bassinette and stand completely furnished with baby doll dressed in {nil set.of approved pattern garments was added to tho rooms for demonstration purposes. The committee regretted exceedingly the resignation of the secretary, Miss Grace Kirkcaldie, who had worked most strenuously aad earnestly for over three years. Miss Barnett meantime is filling tho vacancy, and Mrs. C. Richardson that of honorary treasurer. The committee are very sorry to record the death of Mrs. Neil M'Lean, one of our vice-presidents, and a very zealous, worker, who had been keenly interested in the society for many years. We are again very deeply indebted to the Macarthy Trustees for their very generous grant of £200, also to Mr. John Kirkcaldie for £50, becoming a life member .of the society. This branch has much pleasure in voting the sum of £25 to the Central Council towards the expenses ■ for the upkeep of tho Karitane Harris Hospital. The thanks of the society are due to the Hon. G. W. Russell, Dr. Valintine, and the officers of tho Health Department for the support. they have give;; the society; also to Mr. W. F. Ward for his services as honorary solicitor, and to the honorary auditor, Mr. Ernest Hunt, for his valuable help, and througKTiim the trustees of the Accountants' Society lor their great kindness in lending their room for the annual meeting."

In moving the adoption of the report, Mrs. Massey said that the society had done excellent work during the past twelve months, and members felt that jJiey liad a right to lie proud of it. They had splendid nurses, who had won the confidence of the mothers, and were doing very good work indeed. During ono afternoon last week they had had no fewer than 47 -visits from mothers, and it looked as though more accommodation were needed. The work was growing steadily, and as they well knew one of the objects of the society was to help-the niothers to bring up healthy, strong children, sound in mind and.body.

The chairman, Sir Robert Stout, rend the balance-sheet, which showed that the expenditure for the year amounted to about £800, leaving the society with a balance in hand of £312 14s. 4d. In addressing the meeting the chairman said that he had been a member of the ■society in Dunedin. The motto of the society was: -"it is wiser to erect a fence at the top of the precipice than to have an ambulance at the bottom," and in these days it was very necessary that we should try to remember what it meant. Thero "were very grave conditions in the world at the present time to deal with. There was a great loss of life going' on and a very sad outlook before us with the continuance of this war. If we as a people wanted to have good children, healthy and we had to have good parents. Three ot the greatest factors of infantile mortality in Great. Britain, and in any of the older countries, wore ignorance, poverty, and alcohol. ■ So far as England wa-3 concerned, a great deal was now being done to educate mothers as to the care of their children and of tKemselvcs, and much in this country. As for poverty, it might come to us in tlio time that lay ahead, for afterevery win , there had always come a period of hardship. What we ought to do was to try and prepare for that time. J ii further elaboration of the society's motto, the speaker said that of one of these, evils that did so much harm to a people—that of alcohol—wo,had not dealt with as the people in some other parts of the world had. At ono time we were taking the lead, but we were now behind. Canada nad prohibited tho manufacture and importation of alcoholic liquors; it was now a "dry" country savo for somo parts of Lower Canada. In tho United States tho Government bud taken strong measures to protect soldiers from tho evils of drink. The report of tho committeo of the lioynl Society of England, a committee composed of some of the most ominent physiologists of the day, had stated that alcohol was entirely unnecessary for soldiers, and ' other celebrated dootora had spoken of tho inefficiency that was caused through alcohol. Ono wellknown mcdiciil man., a .Now Zealnndor. had -said 'that to give a nervo-slwttered soldier alcohol was to give him poison. We wifcld not be doing our duty if wo took no heed of what these eminent men had said. In this country last year £9,000,000 were spent upon alcohol and tobacco alone. It was our duty to seo that the young men at the front were not carrying tho whole burden of the war, but to provo that we, too, were willing to sacrifice our comforts and pleasures in order to make our Empire strong. In conclusion. Sir Hobert Stout urged every member, of the society to become a missionary throughout the district for this work, to see that people were educated as to the needs of young children, and

to 'see that tlicro were no slums mid no poverty. Mrs. Massoy en id that in iheir work the society 'h'tSJfl no propaganda ir connection with tlio liquor question. Tlirir work began with tlio babies, and spent itself upon making them healthy, and strong. Tho report and balance-sheet were adopted. The following officers were elected:— President, Mrs. W. I l '. Alassey, C'.B.E. (re-elected); vicepresidents. Lady Stout, Lady (iibbs, Mesdames J. P. I'Uke, A. ](. Atkinson, Macarthy Reid, Hosking, Waltev Nathan, G. W. Kussell, V. ](. Chapman, Gordon Ponsonby, Hanan, M'Vicar, AVindur; lion, committee, Hev. Mother Aubert, Mrsdnmes Arthur. Myers, Cirey, Coull, Malcolm Koss, Cliatfiold, Fell, Missos Reach, Kane, Riley, Bunting, Stewart; executive, the president, secretary, treasurer, Mesdames Brown, JSnrle, M'Vicar, and Miss Kirkcaldie; general committee, Adjutant Glover, Mrs. C. &■ Richardson, Mesdames F. LwsKie, Corrigan, Walter Nathan, Cordon Reid, S. Kirkcaldie, W. l'\ Ward, Harcotirt, ,1. Tripe, C. AI. Luke, AV. Luke, 1). Ewen, D. Cook, Earle, Bnrd, Anderson, Tytbo Brown, Barclay, Misses Jnglis, 'Eiley, Cable, Barnett, ami Kirkcaldie; honorary physicians, Ur. Platts-Mills, Dr. Edith Huntley, Dr. Ada Patterson, Hon. Dr. Collins, Dr. Rawson, Dr. Gibb, Dr. Giesen, Dr. Patie, Dr. Line, Dr. Arthur, Dr. Caliill, Dr. Barclay; hpn. treasurer, Mrs. U K. Richardson; lion, secretary, Miss Barnett. , A r otes of thanks to the hon. accountant, Mr. Hun*, and to the hon. solicitor, Mr. AV. 7'. ATaroY were proposed and passed, also to Sir fiobert btout for taking the chair.