1,000 CHILDREN LOST WEEKLY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 219, 4 June 1918, Page 3

1,000 CHILDREN LOST WEEKLY

f . LORD RHONDDA ON WORK FOR HEALTH JirNISTBY. Lord. Rhondda, the Pood Controller, who was considering a scheme for tho establishment of a Ministry of Health 'when he was President of the Local 'Government Board, dealt with the subject at the National Health Conference at the Central Hall recently. A, Bill for the creation of the Ministry is to bo introduced by. the Government after the recess. In hia address Lord Rhondda observed that he regarded the Ministry of Health Bill as an urgont war measure, as there was evidence that, something like 1000 children's lives were lost a week through the maladministration of the health services. During the war from 150,000 lo 200,000 children's lives had beon lost at a time when we needed them all. He was looking at the matter in a cold-blooded way, as a business man concerned with the productiveness of ttie.nation, ami not from the sentimental or philanthropic point of view. It was a scandalous waste that there should be so many defective children in the schools to-day. He understood'that there were a million weak and defective children in the schools. They could not expect to make health perfect, but obviously they could do better than that. Tour million parents and children were living in slum areas. Lord Rhondda expressed the hope that the Bill would go before Parliament aa an agreed measure. 'fliey wanted it to go through this session, and one of the functions of ■ the Ministry would bo to see that every town had a maternity centre and a clinic, and that the whole industrial population was provided with I a great nursing service.