A SWEATED TRAINING.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1919, Page 11

A SWEATED TRAINING.

Granting now that, only the highest of motives and the noblest of ideals will attract, a woman into does it

not seem that hospital authorities, both f private and public, deliberately take advantage of the fine sentiment-of women < when they underpay t'uem, under or I roughly feed them, and constantly - work them during their term of service. The underpayment is excused by pica of 1 paying for' training. Moit women would" undertake to train_ an intelligent girl in washing find cleaning Aish.es and ' floors, in bathing patients, in preparing 1 and carrying trays, in about seven days. The surgical part the nurse learns a good deal from her books—for remember that with all her "menial" work, che has to find time for "swotting" for her examinations. The training that the. authorities give, considering the lack of opportunity, is worth about a guinea. All the remainder of the girl's labor is pure gain to grasping who are careless of women's health, their future strength, and the welfare of posterity. Every now and then an indignant. patient suspects that these genial,

industrious girls have to scramble for their meals; - that these meals are roughlv cooked or served: that if a -nurse is delayed by duty, there is little chance of a hot. appetising dinner. Doctors insist upon patient* being fed well, according to their disease. Tines anyone insist that each nurse, each separate and individual nurse, lias three good, nourishing meals a dtiy ? It would bo interesting to have an accurate account of n week's food as actually eaten by the hospital nurse. Callous authorities may think only of the financial side. But when one considers the nobility of a nurse's service, one is often forced to tlu> inference that this fine spirit of hers is often abused bv underpayment, bv poor feeding, by discomfort, by overwork. When an epidemic breaks out, mnr-es fail if these conditions have existed. Fine nerves

cannot last i'ldcfhiitelv; "Nature exacts] her toll. This alone is bad business on tbn part of employers. Hut when one adds to that the sin of taking advantage of humane and courageous women's life of sacrifice, when one reckons the results of the crime of wrecking those tried constitutions, a community's duty of protest is due. P»ad nationalism in every way. in the present with the everconstant menace of infectious diseases; in the future with weakened posterity! There should be no shifting of blame for particular cases. How many authorities can claim absolutely clean bands in this matter of the. sweating of nurses?— Hilda Keane In Auckland Her- \