TREATMENT OF NURSES.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1916, Page 6

TREATMENT OF NURSES.

THEIR LACK OF COMFORT. (New Zealand Times). The sinking of the Marquette with members of a New Zealand hospital staff on board, by a submarine in the Eastern Mediterranean, forms the subject of n letter in the Nursing Times winch brings to light some things of very deep interest to people in New Zealand. The writer is a lady formerly well known in New Zealand, and one whose work in various phases of activity connected with women's war service at Home gives her observations weight. "Jt is distressing to remember,'' she says, "that most of the nurses who so bravely died were among those who travelled to Egypt by the Maheno in most uncomfortable conditions. They travelled as passengers, but no stewardess was provided for them; in their sickness they had to wait on themselves, and sick or well they had to sweep their wards, while until the good sense of one medical officer made him protest, they were actually expected to clean out their own bathrooms and lavatories. The captain of the ship and his officers did, indeed, do all in their power to make the voyage pleasant, but the nurses were glad to leave a ship where they had been so wretched. . . . That was not the way to treat women with the professional status of a New Zealand-trained nurse — and I may say here that from my conversations with nurses in other countries, I know that everywhere -the New Zealand nurse is held in the highest esteem. She is absolutely at the head of her profession. These women, too, were Army nurses, and ranked as officers. Do officers clean out lavatories?

. . . . One has the bitter regret of knowing that to several of the nurses so treated no atonement can now be made; 'but New Zealand can at least take care that no other 'nurses sent abroad shall suffer in the same way. One feels sure that these things could not have happened had the Matron-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army Nurses been in the Dominion when the Maheno sailed." The Maheno will be leaving New Zealand again shortly, and in addition to her own staff will be carrying another contingent of about fifty nurses for service abroad. Relatives of these selfsacrificing women, and the people generally who pay the bill, will no doubt be anxious to know if the shortcomings exposed by the Nursing Times' correspondent are to be put right now. There is still time to see that every provision is made for the passenger-nurses' comfort. A repetition of the conditions will amount to a serious scandal.