Some Radical Suggestions.
In moving the Adoption of the report ail'! balauce-slieet, the Rev. Mr. Orr said that lib considered it was but fitting that tho clergy should do all that was possible to forward the work of a society
that mttdo the welfare of women and ; children its chief aim. War and the influenza epidcmic had sadly depleted the population of this country, and for that Teason ho thought that tho work of maintaining and building up tho health of the. people was an, exceedingly patriotic one. It appeared that many of the conditions for whioh the socioty had worked were noij being brought about. Much had been done to bring about a good milk supply, and in this connection tho speaker suggested would it not bo passible not oiily to secure purity, but a uniform quality of milk, as well, by getting somo of the small dairy farmers to sond in their milk to some of the dairies where it would , not be mixed with tho general supplies. This was quite a tontativo suggestion on his parl\ us he did rot claim to havo a 6toro of knowledge About tho ssubjcct. . Mr. C-r then spoke of certain aspects of home life, which had come across his path'during the influenza epidemic. At that timo ho had gono into homes, and in somo of thorn ho could see that tho society's teaching in regard to fresh air was conspicuous by its absence. But not only was , thore a disregard of proper ventilation, there was also to bo observed a general untidiness, even in some places, a distinct unsavourincss in tho surroundings of tho homes. Care was taken to see that our herds, wero kept free from tuberculosis, but there was need to go further and see that when tho milk arrved in homes where children wore that it should not become tainted from tho unsavoury conditions of the home. He would even ask why should inspection stop with tho backyards ? Why should it not bo carried into every homo where there wore children? If people lived in a community they owed a duty to that community, and steps should be taken to see that the health of tho community was secured by obtaining clean and healthy conditions, not only in the backyards," but in tho houses themselves. Why should thoro not bo coinpotitions held ovory now and again (as there wero for cottage gardens), for the best-kept homes ? Eefereneo was also mado to tho housing conditions that were to bo I, mot with in the' city. He would suggest that this society co-operate with tho Town-Planning Society, and bring pressure to boar npon 'the authorities to alter conditions. Good housing conditions belonged to the soul of the people.
The Minister of Public Health, In 6])eaking to tlio adoption of tho report and balance-slieot, tho Minister of Public Health, the Hon. G. W. Russell, said that the Government highly appreciated the work of the Society for tho Health of AVomon and Children. It had now become part and parcel of the national- life of the country. Speaking of
tlio devastations caußed to tliis young country by the war, not only in the' 54,000 odd lost 011 tlio battlefield, but those <13 well who were coming back suffering from wounds, gas, neurasthenia, shell shock, and innumerable other ills, tho Minister said that we would only know tlio full cost in about a hundred years or so. Apart from these men who had suffered from the war, and apart from those wlip had given up their lives, the war was responsible for bringing to light a condition of affairs that hail given great food for thought, and that was that out of the men who presented themselves for military service, lit per cent, were found to bo unfit for such service. These wero young men, and it had to remenibored that 90 per cent, of our people wero. native born. It meant then that these men who were unfit for service were native-born menmen who had lived in an environment that should Iravo made for perfect manhood. Tho cause, continued Mr. Bussell, lay in want of proper attention in infancy, especially during tho first five years of lifo; also in want of attention to the dental conditions of children. At tho present timo the Society for tho Health of Women and Children stood at tho head of all other societies for the assistance given it by tho Government. It received a JMOOO subsidy from tho Government for tlio nurses! Its literature was printed and distributed free, . and steps wero taken to see that every mother received a copy of the book upon babies i'reo of charge, through tho Registrar of Births. , The luritane Home at Duncdin was subsidised to the extent of dC7SO a year; Christehurch had raiast an amount of about ,£12,000 a year or tw» ago and had purchased a property at Cashmere Hills yrhich. had boon turned into another Karitanc.Homo, and he saw that .Wellington had a nucleus of .£l7B for tho establishment of a Plunket Home. In tlio Public Health Amendment Act of last year ho had had ft clause specially drafted with a view to rendering assistance to the society. This clause provided that any local body, such as tho city council, county council, tho borough council, tho town board, etc., may, subject to the Minister of Pu'olio Health, pay out of its ordinary funds such money as-it thought fit for the assistance of any society or institution not started for purposes of profit whose object was the promotion of public health. Towards the end of this month, said the Minister, the clectionß took place, and he would advise tho society 'to at onco enlist the assistance of the local bodies in tho work of establishing a Karitane Home for the Wellington district. In conclusion, he congratulated the society upon its financial position, seeing that it was starting the year with a credit balance of „E159 and in addition, a grant of ,£IGO from the Alacarthj- Trust. The report and balance-sheet were adopted.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 3
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1,015Some Radical Suggestions. Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 172, 15 April 1919, Page 3
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