SOCIAL WELFARE.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1921, Page 1

SOCIAL WELFARE.

SCHOOL AND FACTORY. AUSTRALIA STUDIES LOCAL METHODS. WELLINGTON, Sept. ’27. A thounlitfnl comparison between Liu* jidmiii ist rn tion ,in Australia and New /('aland, of matters assn a a tod with hospital management, social welfare in the school mid factory, amis the problems of the community's health generally was made liv Mr W. 11. Triggs. M.L.C.. in an interview. Mr Triggs returned at the v oek-< n l by the rlimnron. after attending, as :m nnollieial delegate from New /calami. at the first Australasian Health Congress in Melbourne. STUDY INO OUI? HEALTH ACTS “T found that the Health Do: ailment of New Zealand bore a very high reputation in Australia." raid Mr Trigg?, “and the opinion was more than once expressed that they had « good deal to learn from what we had already done in this respect. It was stated that our Health Act was much in advance of anything of the hind in Australian legislation, and it was being carefully studied, with a view to bringing the health laws and regulations of the Commonwealth more updodate. CHILD WELFARE. "I)r Trilby King’s work mi child welfare is of course, well-known in Australia, and some New Sooth Males nurses are being trained at the e.atitnne Hospital in Dunedin, with a 'dew ti, carrying on the same kind ol wrik in New South Wales. M'hile I w:.s in Sydney, a children's clinic on Dr Truhy King’s lines was o|>ened by the (■overnor and Dame Margaret Davidson. f was invited to attend, but was unable to do so. having promised already to take part- in the congress m Melbourne.

DENTAL NURSES TN SCllOo! *. “Another bra neb of our work in which a great deal of interest has been manifested was the use of trained nurses. in dental work in connection vitli public schools. The opinion «a* generally expressed that this was mi ex-el. lent idea, but there was c"rnicW able

curiosity as to how the dentists ol New /calami regarded the innovation. 1 explained that there had been some objection at first, but that T tliougbt the n,ore broad-minded members of the profession realised tlie importance of having children's teeth attended to. and also that, there were not < m ugh lullv skilled dentists to undertake the work. Some of them, no doubt, also realised that, purely on Hie ground of self-initerest. the experiment- was lu-'cly to benefit the profession in the long run, seeing that one result- ol educating parents on the subject would be that tlie services of skilled dentists in private practice would be more finely taken advantage of. Some ol lb* 1 1,-: cling dentists whom T met at tbe cem-feronc-e said that they personally felt that the experiment was justified, as the nurses were given two years’ intensive training, and worked under the supervision of fully (|U.alilie<l dentists. lIDSI’ITAL ADMINISTRATION.

11l answer to a cpiestion. as to how hospital ndministratilm in Aust i cilia eompared with New Zealand. Mr Triggif said, that as far as he e«»ld gather, the linspitals in New Noi til Wales. with the exception of Prince Alfred Hospital, ill Sydney, eompared unfavourably with the best ItospCals in New Zealand. “They are at- present supported." he said, “almost entirely bv voluntary dint rihutions and embiW-Tiic-nts, and are I’esiiTiilly cramped for w nHL of funds to bring their special departments tip t)o date as they Mould like to do. Tbe Government is assisting in tile promotion of lotlerrs on a large scale, for tlie purpose ol | mvidiog funds for some of the lio-intns. but it is fell, that this is a very linsatisfaetory method of dealing with a cjiiestion of stieli public importanee. The opinion lias been very widely c'x-(llc-ssisl that the Government all I the local authorities would have to undertake the provision and maintenance »f hospitals as in New Zealand."

NATIONAL KTIK KTAKING. "Tlu- natioiisl -loektaking ol lieilth. a point on which Dr ('ollins made great stress in an important speech which be delivered in Ibe Legislative Coimil last session, received a good deal of attention at the ooiil'eionee. A suggestion was made by l)r Harvey Sutton. elitef medical inspector of sebools ill New South Wales, that tbe Defence system iniglii Ice utilised in this ic-pr, I by making careful medical inspeelioii oi reel nits, lints supplementing tlie work done by tin' medical inspector "I approved, and it was also urged that, if ibe lectures were given to the cadets and territorials oil personal hygiene it Mould bear valuable fruit as part of t! e educational campaign for the edm-alien of the community, lit)( KEi’EI.I.I-'R l-’t If NDATIGN’S WORK. "I mcis very mill’ll interesied in v.lu-t I was able to learn ic'garding Hie valuable, a-ssistatlee " liieb lias been givn le (be Health Department by the llockeleller Eoiinclatiou cI’.S.A.). Ibis in sciiulioti lias lem the --ei'viees ol three bigbly-skilled experts to carry on spe,j 1 1 «oik. Dr Sawyer is diiceting t.le eampaign against bookworm, wbieb lias been carried oh with great sucre- •' in (.tiieeiislaod. where it Im-- been h - ilitlIt rile. Dr l.auv.a is about to engage ill industrial wellare work: and a skilled sanitary engineer "ill shortly arrive for the purpose of making recommendations as to improving sanitation ill rural districts. I understand I lint tbe services ol these officers are paid bv the Rockefeller Institute, hut the ('omnionwealtlt Government is defraying the expenses incidental tic their work.

HEALTH OK THE WORKERS. • -1)i- Lanza is about to inspect the factories and other places where iudusl■ i a I work is carried oil, for the purpose ol reporting any matters like,' to be prejudicial lo tbe workeis. and making roeommcndalioiis as to romediarmeasures to be adopted. lie will also report generally as to steps to be taken to promote the welfare of

tin* woikors in tlu-M* imlustiios. l.ar.Lit' oiiiployors oi laliour, as a rule, aro hcaitilv ro-npora l i ny;, it-ol-all.lioiljih tin* ivioims pro-po-*i*d will no doidit im-an incioas d oNpoiiditnt»* on ll.u'ir part. anythin;*; which ti-nds to promoli* tin- luallli and woll-IM-ino’ ol ilk* wo;!u-r:. will huiuiii tin* imlustiit-s as a wln»U*. I.AMOl’irs OIUK( THINS.

“Si raiicidy enough, pu- chit*! diMirtdty heino i*.\ju-riunivd a.t prux-m is dm* to some o| iiu* Lahour lonsh'rs, who seem to regard with suspicion any siiii> cost ion mad«* with a \’iow to i nciua si ul;' the effteieney "I tbe "inkers. Dr Lull Z.-l hopes to "V-i c ollie lliis oliji-etioll, which npp:i lent 1 \ cullse l him grettl surprise. ns, in A ii.ei ii n . i Lose engaged in i ll< 1 us| iin 1 pursitils Hi e only ton anxious lor Hie ado;it ion oi any means wbieb u ill conduce to t heir wellare, and me keen oil ineien-ing (heir ellieieoey. Mr Tiiggs concluded ids r,-marks on bis visit to Australia by ac-kno" b'clging: I lie eollltesy and assistance be irreivrd in !ii s iiicpiiries at ibe bands ol Di I'nrdy. . Ilief I lie-ill "Hirer lor the metropolitan (Sydney) di-lriet. "Ini is II 1, 1-Ol her "1 Colonel I’urdy. of Wellington.

"Dr AI nist rung, Director-Genera! of Health lor New Smith Wales, was also mesi court eons and eoii-ii !era t said Mi Triggs. "lie is iceovaised as cote ol tbe ablest ant liot'i t ies on public health cplest ions, and bis report prepared during lla- inlluciizn cpide is reeognised as wort Icy te'e rank amongst tlie highest and most valuable hterii--111 re oil tbe subject.”