PLUNKET SOCIETY.

Taihape Daily Times, 18 April 1918, Page 4

PLUNKET SOCIETY.

The annual general meeting of tbe Royal New Zealand Socfe# for the Health of Women and Children was held last night, when Mrs. Nathan, .presided over an attendance of thirty ladies. The Mayor (Mr. A. L. Arrow* smith) was also present. The Mayor apologised for scnce of Mrs. Studholme, who, owing to a chapter of accidents, was unable to be present. The Secretary, Mrs. Arrowsmith, read the annual report as follows: During the year, it was found necessary to extend the Nurse’s offied hours and the office is now open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 to 1, which is found to be a great convenience to mothers coming from the country. The telephone has been installed in the offiice and has been, found .more useful there. Nurse Parlance has visited Ohakune and found there many persons interested in the work of the Society. An effort was made to arrange for her to regularly visit there, but owing to the pressure of her ordinary duties it was found impossible to extend the radius I’of 1 ’ of her visits to include Ohakune. Our Mar--1 ton sub-branch is endeavouring to form a separate branch in conjunction with Feilding, but this project has not yef been carried out. Though Jtie should bo extremely sorry to lose^ 1 Marton, nevertheless in the interests of the Society we hope to see Marten’s endeavours crowned with success, as it would enable this Branch to extend its operations further North, wherethere is much need of a Blanket Nurse. Mataroa has, during the year, ceased to be a sub-branch and is now worked as part of this branch. Nurse Parlane’s report on the year’s work is as follows: Total number of visits paid to homes 1656; total number of visitors (adults and babies) to office 1782; total number of babies dealt with 1'163 new' cases) 226; total number- of mothers instructed how to make humanised milk 23; breast fed babies 74; partly breast fed babies 33. These totals were divided among the Branch and Sub-Branches.The Nurse’s official correspondence show's that 87 letters were received and 95 were written during the year. The “Baby Week campaign w r as unfortunate in the matter of weather, which seriously interfered with open-air functions, however it is believed-that the campaign served .to draw the attention of the public to the necessity of taking scientific measures in the roaring- .of- that ■much good resulted from the t ,ganda The- Branch ’s rest, tent A. and P. Show-was again much' appreciated. Each year this tent becomes •more popular over forty mothers took advantage of it at the last show. Sewing for the Wives and Widows °f Soldiers and Sailors of Great Britian was . ‘carried on as hitherto./'With the splendid assistance of the Mangaweka subbranch we were enabled to send a case of baby-clothes to England, every other month. In all 520 garments have been dispatched this year and grateful acknowledgments have been received for the gifts. We are gratified by the Recognition of his great services accorded to the President of the Society, Dr, Truby King, by the inclusion of his name in the list of birthday honours and even more by his call to England to establish there the workcarried on in New Zealand by this Society. The thanks of the Branch are due to the Rangitikei A. and P. Society for supplying and erecting the rest-tent at the Show; to the Taihape and Rata Dairy Companies for testing milk; to Mr. J. Capill for cartingfree of charge and to our honorary auditor, Mr. A, M. Ryan, for again auditing the accounts and preparing the balance sheet. The balance sheet show'cd*Expenditure £293 4s 2d; income £205 13s Id; cash in bank and in hand £l4l 2s 7d; assets £93 4s lOd; liabilities nil. The secretary explained that the half-yearly subsidy of £SO had beert received after the accounts had been, closed, which made their income £255' 13s Id. f Mr. Arrowsmith said he had been deputed by chairwoman) Mrs Nathan) to move the adoption of the report and balance sheet, and congratulated the ladies present not only oit their attendance, but on their punctuality. He also congratulated the members of the Society on the result® of the year’s work. From what war originally regarded as a joke the Sociotyhad become a real living force in, the community. The present was a time when the preservation of infant life was the imperative duty of the nation in order to replace the vast numbers lost at the front. There was not a single town in the United King--, dom that did not now know the name of New Zealand—a name that had become honoured through the doughty deeds of her sons. The Society wasunobtrusively, but nevertheless surely carrying on a national work, and keepring on the forward march to make s great nation. New Zealand had often been termed the Britain of the<^cijßh r and it would eventually beclme* a a great as the Britain of the NortfJt’Ms wuold be a natural and logical outcome

of «uch a fine country as New Zealand and the splendid men and women she produced. The balance sheet was adopted, ' The election of officers for the ensuing year was then proceeded with. Mrs. Studholme, was re-elected presidpfc W acclamation. Mesdames I>e Nathan, McCormick and Eoughnan were re-elected, vice-presid-ents; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. Arrowsmith (re-elected); Committee: Mesdames Carpenter, Deacon, Emerson. Joblin, Matthews. Mercer, Ongley, Loughnan, Shute, Somerville, Shennan, Sherwin (re-elected). McLennan (senior),, and A. Bennett, The Advisory * Board consisting of Eather Bjinkadc, Bey' 'Stent ? Hocking, .and McDonald, Messrs. E. W. Smith; Oldham, Arrowsmith, and Studholme were re-elected. Mr, A. M. Eyan was reelected auditor. A hearty vote of thanks on the motion of Mrs. Nathan was accorded to Mrs. Studholme for her very valuable services to the Society in the past, which on being put to the meeting was carried by acclamation. The Secretary, Mrs, Arrowsmith was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for her services. Mrs. Arrowsmith thanked the meeting for the vote of thanks, and said she only hoped she would be able to do more future than she had been able to do last year. (Applause.) Mrs. Deacon was also accorded a hearty vote of thanks as interim secretary. Mrs; Nathan proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Nurse Parlane for the very great assistance she had rendered and the good work she had done. On all sides were to be heard words of praise and appreciation. The motion was carried amidst applause. Nurse Parlane thanked those present for their expressions of appreciation, saying her position at first was somewhat difficult and trying, but now everything was going on very satisfactorily. (Applause.) Vote Sf thanks to Mrs. Nathan and Mr, Arrowsmith brought the meeting to a close.