THE BACK BLOCKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 57, 25 July 1912, Page 4

THE BACK BLOCKS.

THE CLAIMS OF THE WOMEN. By Telegraph—Parliamentary Reporter. Wellington, Last Night. The claims of the dwellers in the backblocks to greater consideration were voiced by Mr. J. B. Hine, member for Stratford, at Woodville. on Monday night. In conversation with a Post reporter to-day he elaborated his ideas. Mr. Hine has been a farmer for many yeara, and has a personal acquaintance with "way back" that not only enables him to .speak with authority, but has imbued him with a sense of sympathy for the "way back" dwellers and indignation at the treatment meted out to them that at Woodville almost reached the bursting point. His chief consideration was for the women, the wives of the backblockers, who sometimes (he had known of such cases) did not see another woman for nearly a year at a time, who now and again went down into the "valley of the shadow of death" of childbirth miles away from anyone who could be of assistance, and who frequently exchanged as a consequence the valley for the shadow. Such women were heroines, giving their lives for their country, which gave so little in return. Recent legislation had been of little assistance. Unqualified persons were debarred from acting as midwives. That was all very well in cases where qualified people were available, but it was a deterrent to women who were qualified in the ordinary way when no better help was to be had,-and a condition of things had arisen that was most unsatisfactory and undesirable. Not only had the women of the bush to put up. with the incidental isolation and hardship and privation of the social amenities. That was not very much a matter of concern with them, but they were unable to get the assistance that their sisters in more settled localiies were able to command when required. There had been some painful and occasionally fatal experiences in this respect, and the backblockers were wondering what had become of the promises made by past governments in regard to the alleviation of their distress. They have been buoyed up hy false hopes, remarked Mr. Hine. The maternity homes had been established for the training of nurses who were eventually to go out into the backblocks. As a matter of fact these nurses had to pay quite a considerable amount to: the privilege of gaining their experience in the maternity homes. Many of then- scraped their last penny to enable them to go through the course, and it was not to be expected that they would go to the backblocks if they could' help it. What Mr. Hine suggested was that such nurses should be subsidised by the State tor the benefit of the women of the backblocks, Give them free instruction on condition that they served for a couple of years way back. It was, he argued, the duty of the State to assist the dwellers of the backblocks in this respect, and it would pay the State to subsidise nurses for such a purpose. "It is _ the duty of the State to do such a thing," he added. "You hear a lot about what the State is doing for us, but the State makes no provision for saving those that are born in a large part of the Dominion. " The settlers, he went on to say, were willing to help towards the cost, and he also suggested that it would do a great deal towards solving the problem if the Government subsidised medical men to go out to the backblocks for the benefit of the dwellers therein. It would, he contended, be a cheap form of enterprise, and one that would be well repaid by results. It would save a great deal of sorrow ami hardship and loss of life and he hoped that some scheme in relation to the matter would be placed on the Government's scheme of reform. The backblockers were developing the country for the benefit of the country as a whole, and they should receive every consideration.