ST. HELENS HOMES

Hokitika Guardian, 22 November 1930, Page 6

ST. HELENS HOMES

MINISTER’S STATEMENTS.

MRS BEAN REPLIES.

(Wellington Dominion)

Statements made by the Minister of Health, Hon. A. J. Stall worthy, in respect to the St. Helens Homes throughout the Dominion, were replied to last week by Mis W. S. Bean, of Christchurch. Mrs Bean, who is a daughter of the late lit. Hon. R. JSeddon, the founder of the homes, contended' that the Minister was seeking to throw on to the hospital boards more than their share of responsibility for maternal welfare.

“In a report of an interview with the Minister of Health in respect to the conditions of St. Helens Hospitals in the Dominion,” said Mrs Bean, “the Minister doth protest overmuch in seeking to throw on to the hospital boards more than their share of the responsibilities of the maternal welfare of this country. The statement attributed to the Minister that in the future the homes (St. Helens) would be recognised more as model training schools than as institutions for maternity cases generally, is an indication of a fui'ther diversion of the original policy as laid doxvn by the founder, and is small excxise for the neglect of these institutions at the hands of successive. Governments.” In support of her contention, Mi's Bean qxxoted Dr. T. H. A. Yalintine, Director-General of Health, in his annual report to ■ Parliament for 1930: “It is a pity that successive Governments have not given more encouragement-• to.-the, St. Helens system.” Training of Pupil Nurses.

Mrs Bean said that training of pupil nurses in midwifery was certainly important. but surely that importance included the mother’s interest. V quotation from a speech made at the opening of the Dunelin St. Helens by the late Mr Seddon in 1905 woxild show that the founder’s primary interest was that of the mothers. Mr Seddon said on that occasion: ‘The wages of the working classes seldom permit of comfort and skilled attendance, and feeling this we have taken steps to establish maternity homes at Wellington and Dunedin, and are proceeding to extend them to other centres of the colony. My desire is that these homes will be available to all whose means will not permit of private comfort and skilled attendance. My earnest hope is that this humanity may give the child a better chance of life and the mother a lighter burden to bear.”

In that statement, said Mrs Bean, was the true idea of St. Helens. It was vastly different from the tone of the present-day Minister of Health, whose ! vision got no further than “model training schools,” as expressed in )i' s interview on Saturday. “In 1925 the different hospital boards-in the Dominion were almost begged to take over the respective St. Helens Homes' in the main centres!” she said. “This proposal to sink the identity of St. Helens in the hospital -system of the country was merely an attempt to put the financial strain on the local ratepayers, s V 1 ’ Turned Down. “To the best of my belief the proposal lvas turned down by all the boards! with the exception of North Canterbury,” Mrs Bean continued. “This board agreed under certain stipulations, but in May, 1930, intimated to the Health Department that it would be willing to be relieved of the compact. This compact was an agreement to the amalgamation of St. Helens and the Essex Rescue Home, St. Helens to be built on the site of the Rescue Home. This wonderful schenle was frustrated on the verge of accomplishment by the action of the women of Christchurch who, with a deputation headed by Mrs Cracroft W ilson and myself, representing nearly 3000 women, waited .on the.. Minister and denounced this method of wrecking the local St. Helens.

j “In Christchurch the patch-up ramj shackle old public house, serving as St. Helens since 1906, is having the | usual frepll co.at of paint, and a little extra improvement to meet Parliamentary .demands of last session. It. like Auckland, is sadly insufficient in ac- ' commodation and the medical officer in attendance has frequently bad to notify the Medical Officer of Health in order to avoid serious trouble. No wonder Dr. Valintine says that suo- | cessive Governments have not given more encouragement to St. Helens system.

Work of Matrons. “Instead of extending the facilities of the State-owned St. Helens we have ' the Minister of Health now telling the public, that the department lias been *for years -urging • upoil hospital boards j the necessity for making provisions for maternity cases. The amazingly ex- | cellent record of work done by the St. Helens Hospitals throughout New Zealand is entirely due to the various matrons and their nurses who have Worked and are still working under great handicap in over-crowded and obsolete buildings.

“The Minister.” concluded Airs Bean, “obviously wishes to continue the diversion of the responsibility of maternal welfare in this Dominion to the hospital hoards, crushing out any hope of' extending flic usefulness of fft. Helens in their original policy of hospitals for the benefits of the wives of men of moderate means run entirely under State control and directly responsible to Parliament.”