VOLUNTEER NURSES.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1915, Page 8

VOLUNTEER NURSES.

MUST NOT GO TO EGYPT. MINISTER PUTS HIS FOOT DOWN. Christchurch, Oct. 16. The Hon. G. W. Russell to-day made a statement praising the work done by tho Volunteer Sisterhood, but denying that the Government recognised the organisation or is in any way responsible for looking after the nurses who join. "I was surprised," he said, "to see statements in the newspapers that a number of ladies would leave New Zealand as members of the organisation to nurse at the front. Miss Rout, the lion, secretary of the sisterhood, was assured that no untrained ladies would be sent forward. I wish to say that these ladies go without any authority, from the Public Health Department, 1 and in defiance of the wishes of the Government. Further, the Government accepts no responsibility with regard to those who go. "It is impossible to allow white women to go to the front for the purpose of undertaking a class of duties which entirely devolve upon the coloured races. If these duties are undertaken by white women, the white race would suffer greatly in regard to what we in New Zealand call its 'mana.' If this movement is persisted in, I shall exercise the powers vested in me as Minister in Charge of the National War Funds, with a view to putting matters on a proper footing." MISS ROUT IN REPLY. Christchurch, Oct. 17. Interviewed last night Miss E. A. Rout, honorary secretary of the Volunteer Sisterhood, said she had not the intention- of altering the arrangements made for the dispatch of volunteer women by the Manuka and Medina because of the conflict of authority between the Health Department and the Defence Department. The position of the Hon. Mr. Allen all along has been that the matter of going out to Egypt is entirely one for the volunteers to decide for themselves, inasmuch as they" go out "-unofficially, and not officially. As to whether or not the services of. the Volunteer Sisters will be acceptable in Egypt, these considerations are relevant:—(l) The Imperial War Office has just issued an order for 200 volunteer women, that is, so-called untrained nurses; (?) ten volunteer women left Wanganui several weeks ago in charge of a trained nurse and we have not yet heard of their oxplusion from Egypt; (3) three women who joined the Volunteer Sisterhood in Wellington—one a trained nurse and two untrained—went out to Egypt at their own expense unontks ago as scouts, and they are now in service in a military hospital. Their experience confirms and justifies the wisdom and necessity of sending out this larger contingent, gathered from all over New Zealand. Tliey will be asked to report to Colonel Rhodes who as assistant Minister for Defence most courteous and encouraging to the Volunteer Sisters whilst he was in New Zealand. If necessary Miss Rout is quite prepared to go aboard the Medina with the volunteer contingent.