Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-02-03
REPRESENTATIVES or The STATE
HEALTH Department AND Child
Welfare BOARD WANT $4,000
Both Organizations Lay Claim to the Money
Which VIII Come to New Mexico Should
the Shepard Towner Bill Be Passed By Con-
gress; Matter Taken Under Amusement.
IN stnff Corrcsnondent.l

is.Td when the Childrcn's bureau
( was created and asserted that the
! women Of the country mad realized
! the need Of a specialized bureau
Mothers" she declared, need
snmcth ng in addition to the needs
of the services OF a physician.
When we women considered the
needs of the state, we saw that
New Mexico needed a state depart
ment Of health and also a child
welfare board. At the present time,
! the child welfare board is carrying
out the exact wish of the women
Of the state"
Senator Phillips read to the
women section four of the amend
ed Sheppard-Towner bill, which
provides that in state which has
/ a child welfare or child hygiene
| division of the agency Of health,
the money shall go 20 that division.
| lie Quoted an opinion by Attorney
| General Harry S. Bowman, show
/ ing that there might be difficulties
| i'm transferring the money to the
state child welfare board as long
as the department Of health had
( such a division.
Charles Springer, called upon to
| express the opinions Of the child
welfare board, stated frankly that
under the present bill with a diVi-
sion Of child hygiene existing in the
state department of health, 1t
would not be possible for the child
| welfare board to receive the mon
/ ev. lie suggested that If the legis-
| lature wished to make it possible
| for the child welfare board TO re-
! ceiye the money, it would he nee
! csaprv to abolish the child hygiene
| division of the state department of
health and designate the child well
fare board as the agency TO receive
the money.
Senator Reinburg stated that
child hygiene work was necessary
if one was to have a chil0 for the
welfare work to be performed
upon. D". Janet Reid urged the
Importance of welfare work among
normal children. Mrs N. b.
/ I.aughlin stated that the purpose
&, of the welfare organization was to
4, do maternity work and train mid
wives, but she was informed by
Mrs, Prichard that this new plan
had been changed to conform with
the provisions of the Shepard
=, Towner bill
Mrs. Warren asked that DR.. {.
E. Waller. commissioner of health,
be allowed to explain the import
ance of continuing the division OF
. hygiene within that body. tie was
called upon to do so and explained
, that the health department was
doing huge educational WORK
, land that j., was non-teChnical. lie
r urged that the work among chill
dren be done efficiently and eco
nomically and that two bureaus De
+ not allowed to overlap
The state department of health,
, he explained, has a division OF
child hygiene. II has facilities tor
CARRYING the work on in the field
:, 1t is prepared TO do the chud
hygiene work at a cost OF S5,oVo Il
wear. since it possesses laboratories,
records it knows where the chll-
dren are. with what they are SICK
and from what they are dying lie
pointed out that in Bernalillo coun-
/ v outside Of Albuquerque there
were 342 deaths within a given
period and that OF these l4f "ers
in the first infants under l year OF
age. =
DR.. Brown discussed the work In
the county of Santa Fe and sug-
gested that there should be a CO.
ordination of work under the state
department of health.
Miss Montana Hastings. director
Of child welfare, urged that the
child welfare board has admins
tered its funds wisely.
Mrs Warren read a report of the
health work which had been done
in the county schools of Santa Ice
county by the school nurse IN CO.
operation with the health offlcer'
An astonishing amount of work
had been done.
The senate committee took the
matter under advisement and VIII
report to the senate later upon IT,