OBSTETRICAL APPEAL

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1930, Page 2

OBSTETRICAL APPEAL

SUPPORTED BY HON. H. ATM ORE. WELLINGTON, March 31. A concert arranged by Mrs Bernard Wood and given last evening in the Majestic Theatre, Wellington, was an unqualified success. The large theatre was packed in every part before the advertised time for beginning. Hei Excellentcy, Lady Bledisloe, was present.

A short moving picture programme was given and an address through the movietone by the Right lion Sir Joseph Ward was very warmly received, his appearance in the picture being loudly applauded. The Minister of Education (the Hon. H. Atmore) gave a short address explaining that the evening had been arranged by Mrs Wood in aid of the fund with which to wage a campaign against maternal mortality. This campaign bad been intiated by Dr. Doris Gordon of Stratford. Mr Atmore explained that the Dominion was divided int° four sections. Tt was expected that Auckland and Wellington and the intervening districts would raise £7500 each whilst the two divisions in the South Island were to raise £SOOO each making a total of £25,000 for the endowment of a. chair of Obstetrics at the Dunedin Medical School. The Minister said that it might be asked what were the Government doing in the matter. The Government wore finding £50,000 for the building of a hospital for the necessary research work in midwifery and in addition would supplement the affairs of the public bv giving a subsidy of £25,000 on the voluntary contributions, making a total of £75,000. The necessity for research work into the study of obstetrics was shown In the fact that one mother died in child birth every two and a halt days in New Zealand, and although we had the lowest infantile mortality in the whole world, having reduced the rate of in funt’s deaths in the first year of birth per thousand live births since 1907 from eighty-eight to thirty-four in 1929-our position in regard to maternal mortality was not nearly so satisfactory, as in the records taken in twenty-seven countries it was shown that we were only midway, the actual rate being 4.75 per 100 births, as against Denmark’s 2.36. The total num her of deaths from puerperal causes for the last five years up to 1928 was as follows: — 1924 140 ' 1925 131 1926 120 1927 137 1928 134

Mr Atmore emphasised the point that New Zealand led the world in' its low infantile death rate because of the close study made into infant life both.by the Government, through the Child Wei fare Department, and by the Plunket Society, and its proud position was due to concentrated effort. He said: ’‘Let us give the mothers an equal chance. Let us endow'the university with this chair of obstetrics, so that a first-class man may be placed in charge, and the medical men have full opportunity for study in the midwifery course, and then we shall be able to make another proud and justifiable boast that we have enhanced a splendid achievement in the reduction of infant mortality by showing an equal reduction in the maternal rate.”

At the conclusion of the concert, the Minister thanked those present for their support. As a result df the concert, the fund will benefit to the extent of about £IOO.