HOSPITAL NURSES.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 May 1919, Page 3

HOSPITAL NURSES.

a "" To the Editor. Sir,—Some short time ago you drew pointed attention to the conditions under which the nurses in the New Plymouth Hospital worked. 1 anticipated that the Board at their last meeting would have at least discussed the matter after public attention had been drawn to it, but nothing was said that would indicate a desire to improve both the hours and pay. Considerable discussion took place as to how they (the Board) could finance the erection of a social hall in connection with the new home for the nurses. How the Board ever passed a plan for a new home without seeing that the social side of the nurses' life was fully provided for is amazing. Apparently the Board's desire is to get as much service as possible for as little as possible regardless of conditions, for apparently the social hall is-to be dependant on public subscriptions instead of being part of the original plan, and it is to be presumed that if public subscriptions do not come to hand there will be no social hall. During the discussion that took place one member of the Board suggested that the hall should lie a memoriai to nurses and soldiers, and he is further reported to have said (hat something should he done for the nurses who workbd long hours for miserable pay! And no doubt it. was intended that the hall was to compensate them for the long hours and miserable pay! 1 doubt 'if the general public are alive to the conditions tinder which nurses in our public hospital work, although you, Sir, stated the cusp very fully. Evidently it will hear repetition, in the hope that something will be done to improve what is admitted by one member of our Board to be miserable, apart altogether from the trying nature of the work. They work nine hours each day [or seven days in the week. I want to emphasise the seven days, wlr.cli makes lIS hours per week, a great part of (heir time .'on night, duty, and no overtime rate®. There is no other class of the community that works such hours. Tn addition Ihev linve in attend lectures in their nIT lime their off time being after they have done nine hours duly, and in addition sludy to pass exams., and after thr»c years' service (hey receive the munificent sum of £4 per month, with an allowance of, 1 think. £1 per innum for shoes. Evidently the Hoard does not think that the cost of iivinff affects the nurses. It certainly looks as if nothing short of a union 1 0 f nurses will get the conditions im- | , roved. But there is a further pen- | ail v placed upon the nurses, as is shown | the matrons-- report that they are unI .ih'e to get maids, and that shortage of help makes it hard for the nurses. So

it would appear that the nurses have to carry on the work that would be done by maids, if they were procurable, i and the matron suggests 30s per week as an inducement to maids to take service at the hospital— £7B per annum for a maid as against £4B for a nurse of three years' standing. It certainly is "miserable." When they have passed their final examination they have a chance of getting £BO per annum. They are constantly advertised for at about that rate, and after years of service and study they may become a matron at some £2OO per annum to carry on an institution that a man would want £SOO for. I think I have said enough to show that the. time has arrived to end long hours and miserable pay. The Board and the public have no right to expect the service they are receiving for such inadequate pay. It is to be hoped that the new Board will see that justice is done to a noble body of women who are engaged in a work of mercy as well as necessity. Finally, when we were visited with the epidemic the cry was for trained nurses, and all Jcnow how they responded to that call. They did their work amidst the sick and dying regardless of the risk. Some unfortunately lost their lives. They worked as long as they could stand, and in some cases when they contracted the disease they had to be almost forcibly put to bed. They never spared themselves, and for the noble work done during that trying period they received a vote of thanks, from the Board, and nothing from the general public but long hours and inadequate pay. /I know it has been stated that they are as well paid as in any other hospital in New Zealand, but that is only begging the question. I. would recommend the Board to enquire what has been done' in other places to recognise their work during the late epidemic—l am, etc., J,A.