NEW DENTAL CLINIC

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 998, 14 June 1930, Page 10

NEW DENTAL CLINIC

OPENED BY HON A. i. STALLWORTHY BENEFIT TO DEVONPORT Tlie joint committees of the three "Devonport schools were able to congratulate themselves this afternoon on the successful issue of a four-year effort. when a dental clinic for the use of Devonport school children was officially opened by tho Minister <;? Health, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy. The clinic is in charge of Nurse Ellis j and has been erected by the co-opera- j lion of tho Education Department, I Hea.ih Department and the residents ] • •ontrolling Devonport, Vauxhall and ! ft tar. ley Bay schools. It is situated on a commanding site on Mount Victoria, j ■ djacent to Devonport School, within j • asy reach of the other two schools. 1 The equipment is of the latest type, -nd very complete, provision having ' been made for the employment of a ; second nurse. The committee expects to be able to apply to the Health Department for a second nurse next year, when the average attendance at the schools will have increased by the requisite number of pupils, namely, 70. Tho attendance this afternoon ineluded Mr. J. Hislop, Deputy-Mayor of Devonport, members of the Borough • ’ouncil, tho school staffs, and the school committees of the three schools, •is well as a large number of the ge»-- ■ ral public. Mr. Alex. Harris telegraphed from Dunedin apologising for iiis absence. Mr. C. M. Browne, of Stanley Bay, " 10 " Uf ‘ ; chairman of the organisirc • ominittee. introduced the Minister and explained that the committee was much indebted to the Devonport Domain Board for granting the use of the s,fe clinic, and to tho Devonport Borough Council and many citi*©ns for ready help with the finance ■ hat had to be found to secure the Government subsidy. Mr. L. S. Bates, the committee secretary, had put in veoman service and the whole borough i'irn Unc * er a vei *y deep obligation to BOUQUETS FOR NURSE ‘Mr. J. Hislop, Deputy-Major stressed the value of dental hygiene ~ . ot dental clinics to the school districts. Fl© congratulated the Minister anrj the Government In their policy in these matters. Mr. Hislop also wel- - Nurse Ellis, who is to take • marge of the clinic. He said that at' r aeroa. where she had been stationed, she had carried out 8,640 dental operations. saving over £4,000 in cash to the parents of scholars. Miss Ellis was presented with a beautiful bouquet bv one of the small pupils of the school. The Hon. A. ,J. Stall worthy, in *?eknowledcring the Deputy-Mayor’s appreciation of the Government’s policy, stated Cabinet had difficult times ahead, but he hoped that no matter wnat economy measures were essential, the dental services would not suff’er. It was better to spend money on these social services than on gunpowder. He was not able to give the figures, but well over £250,000 was sunk in ammunition stocks in the Dominion. and more than £50,000 was spent, in building up the stock, which wa.fi never likely to be used very much. TRAINING NURSES

The Minister also outlined the system of training nurses, stating that only 40 out of 200 applicants were selected this yenr. On the other hand the Government had applications for over 200 clinics. Cabinet was doing its best to meet the demand. The Minister announced that the Devonport Labour Party had increased '.is donation from £ 2 2s to £7 7s. and he thanked Mr. C. M. Brown for ad- ' ai rcing the money to the organising committee to enable it to complete its obligations.

Afternoon tea was served after the opening ceremony.