PLUNKET NURSE SOCIETY

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 189, 19 April 1915, Page 3

PLUNKET NURSE SOCIETY

'■ ' ', ■ ■ —t~ —• -'- -■ /. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE EXECU TiVE GOMMIFEE OF THE TAP HAPE BRANCH OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. In presenting the second annual report and -balance sheet your Committee has to congratulate the Branch on a most successful year’s operations. During the past twelve months, two hew sub-branches, namely, Utiku, and Mangawelca, hav e ' beriei started and arrangements have been made for starts ing yet another -at Hunterville, Nurse Jones’ annual report will .fully set oht the work accomplished during the period reviewed therein and warrants the branch in taking a most optimistic view of its .continued growth and increased usefulness during the next year. The Branch, in common with all other branches of the Society, is taking measures to provide Infants’ clothing for the wives and widows of the British soldiers and -sailors engaged in the war* who will shortly become mothers, and the Committee hopes that every member of the Branch will do her utmost to aid this work, '• The balance sheet ig again satisfactoby, for, after providing £l5O for the Nurse’s' salary! thefe is a larger'cash balance to the credit of the'Branch than at the commencement of the year 'and-a subsidy of £IOO is how due from the Government. On behalf of the Society the Committee tenders thanks ■•to,) allt'Chose who assisted-- to make the (.Branch’s entertainment- a success;., to , : Mr A- M. Ryan for acting as Honorary Auditor to the Branch;-.- to all those who have helped the good work by donations; and. to the Press for its unfailing support, : \ For the Committee, . . . . . E. ARRCnySMITH, . . .- .Hon. Secretary. . .Taihape, April 15, 1915. ■ T haVe the honour to report that Since the beginning of'the financial year (April 1, 1914) I have visited and ■advised about one hundred and two infants. ■ Severity one of these chilklfen have been' on' the books ! and visi- '■ ted'regularly. Thirt y-one were not put on the books; being children whom I only saw casually or occasionally. I have paid on e thousand arid thirtysix visits to . homes and there have Jreen five hundred and ninety-eight , vjsjtprs to the. Punket Room. . To, show the sterling .progress made .I.append the figures for each month: — Visits To Homes To Office

will be soon that the only serious .uiug yff was in Ja-miary, when many babies wore away bn holiays, Wje started the year with 6 babes on our books ami we- finished it \ with sixty-five. Many expectant and,, aursing mothers have been advised'far the good at. their babies and themselves and froty-five mothers haVe been abown how to make humanized milk. At present thsi’e are thirty-two mothers making it regularly. There have been three -deaths, one of th© infants with grave congenial disease was transferred, from private hospital to. the public hospital by the doctor, as the case was infectious — and died them Another was sent to the Public Hospital by the doctor at my request as the friends could not attend to it in my absence, and the third; was a premature infant weighing two and a half pounds, which died when a fortnight old in spite of all the care,, bestowed on it by the doctor and nurse and the attention of a most devoted and sensibly mother. When I started we had one out-sta-tion, namely, Mataroa, Since then, we have started work in' Utiku and'Mari-; gaweka and „we have two babies on the bpoks from Hunterville. , During the year I have addressed four meetings, lectured 1 to senior girls in three schools and assisted at two Plunket entertainments and taken charge, of. a Rest Tent for mothers on showground. I have received forty-five letters and written' fifty. During the year the, number of babies who have obviously and beyond dispute, benefited by the treatment, has been very large. In several instancs babies who began life weighing five lbs and .under, and looking almost hopelessly puny and delicate, are now up to average .weight and looking well, and babies who. began life well and went - back .owing to injudicious feed-' .■ing.and,indigestion have, in. every instance,- .where, the .treatment ha s bf'eri perseveringly and thoroughly carried out, wonderfully improved. There arc many- mothers in this district willing to bear out this statement. The. supreme importance of every infant, getting its natural food if possible lib's been impressed on the mothers in season and out of season. Seeing that these things are so we can at least fpel, tha+. the year’s work of the Society has been a benefit to the district; (Sgd) MADGE A. JONES. The Otaki paper states that a “scene" of an unpleasant nature occurred ’at the Hutt County offices last week, when tow councillors, thoroughly warmed to their argument, nearly got to fisticuff’s. In consequence, the meeting•aclojlimed for half aii hour, but even.this did not cool the heated members. who expostulated with each other till their faces almost came into contact. Once or twice it appeared as if blow.s would be struck, and challenges to “come outside" were frequent. One .unconcerned councillor left the room hurriedly, and was not seen during the rest of the day; and others watched for developments.' ■'

April 40 28 •'■■'‘May" • 62 ■■ 13 • June' ' . 1... V. 107 • 30 ‘July ..... .. 93 56 August . . .- .. 115 ■ 76 s . • ' . ..■■•'134 ■ ’ 91 October .125 67 November .V 12756 ’December ..142 - 44 January . .. 99 12 - ' February ’ . 120 - ■ • 15 ■ March ’■ ... .. 143 80 • 1306 - 598