The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1920-03-19
NEW SAFEGUARDS FOR
MOTHERS.

CINCINNATI, OHIO, March 1S.-
I'm 1919 the total appropriations
| available for the Children's Blu
reau, including an emergency fund
of $250,O00, were $528,190; where
as, the Bureau of Animal Industry in
it's regular annual appropriation was
granted $4,211,312. These figures
may be verified at the Children's Blu
reau and the Bureau of Animal In
dustry," said Mrs. Wood Park, Pres
ident of the League of Woman Vot-
ers, in her third lecture on What
Congress Is Doing Now" which she
gave under the auspices of the Wo-
man Suffrage Committee of Greater
| Cincinnati in the Library of the Sim
ton, Monday. Her subject for the
day was New Safeguards for Moth
er and Child"
This subject" said Mrs. Park,
sis one that has had only a few con-
nections with legislation actually
before Congress, because as yet most
Legislators do not realize that legis-
lative protection is needed for ma
ternity and infancy. Thus far it has
happened that men have given their
first thought to the protection of the
subjects in which they are especial
| ly Observation-Disclosures. They have
not intended to neglect or Cypress
women and children, but have failed
to see the importance of legislating
for their needs, just as women would
have been likely to fail if they had
undertaken to legislate for matters
which men know most about. We
see here one of the most cOgent rea-
sons for uffrage-that both sides Of
the house, as it were, should be rep
resented and that these subjects
which are of such vital interest to
women and children should be look
ed after by women who understand
their Importance.
Mrs Park then described in de-
tail bill for the public protection
Of maternity and infancy introduced
into the Senate by Senator Shep-
pard and into the House of Repre-
sentatives by Representative Turner.
The bill is similar to measures NOR
tally in other countries.
Next to tuberculosis more WO-
men lose their lives through child
birth than through any other one
cause, hence the interest which wO-
men are taking in this BILL con-
tinued Mrs. Park. 1T provides for
federal appropriation of $4,000
600 for the first year, the sum to be
gradually increased until it reaches
$4,000,000 annually. 1t will be ap-
portioned among the States in the
proportion which their population
Ion lot
ed that each State apprOpriates d
like sum. In addition to this sum
the bill provides for an annual ap-
preparation of $4SO,OOO to be divid-
ed equally among the States without
guarantee of like sum.
THE act is TO be administered"
said the speaker, "by a Federal
Board of Maternal and Infant Hy-
giene, to consist of the Secretary Of
Labor, Chairman; the Chief of the
Children's Bureau, executive officer;
the Surgeon General Of the United
States Public Health Service and the
United States Commissioner of Edu-
cation. Plans for State work must
be submitted and approved by the
board. The administration of the
act in the States is to be in the
hands of specially created boards.
Advisory Committees, both State and
local, may be appointed to assist III,
carrying out the act. At least half
the members of these committees
must he women
Mrs. Park depressed a moment to
relate an amusing experience OF Miss
Lathrop, head of the Chlidren's Blu
reau, who was trying to enlist the
interest of certain Senator in the
bill, when the latter declared that
the United States was squandering
too much money on sentimental
schemes and that if he had known
that the Senate twas going to
fuss around with mothers and ba-
bies," he wouldn't have shown any
interest in the bill at all. When
convinced by Miss LathrOp that the
lives of innumerable mothers and
children were at stake, that $4,000
mothers lost their lives annually
from conditions caused by child
birth. which were largely prevent
able if proper care were given. that
the maternal death rate in the
United States is fourteenth in list
of sixteen of the large civilized coun-
tries of the world, Spain and Swift
zerland exceeding that of this coun-
try, and that it's infant death rate is
nearly twice as high as the death rate
in New Zealand, where it has been
| educed from 1913 to 48 in 1000 in
twenty years, the Senator changed
his mind and became vigorous