ulties of many women whose husbands are in
the lower-salaried groups, or in small businesses, for instance, are
just as anxious. For these we should also advocate the extension of the
maternity allowance and such further direct financial encouragement of
the family as can be devised.

Here, too, is the definite need for domestic help--possibly on a
subsidized plan.

Many of these women prefer to make their own private arrangements for
their confinements, and to enable them to do so we suggest that further
assistance might be given by the provision of more maternity hospitals
of the intermediate type, in which these mothers may have all adequate
facilities with the right of attendance by their own doctors. Here,
too, we believe that proper knowledge of child spacing is most
desirable, though we consider that this is a matter for private
arrangement.

(2) REMOVAL OF FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH.

It has been indicated that whereas the majority of witnesses expressed
the opinion that the fear of pregnancy and labour played little part in
the demand for abortion, and that the majority of women were satisfied
with the help and relief which they received at the time of their
confinement, yet there were some witnesses who held very strongly that
inadequate pain relief and lack of sympathetic understanding of the
individual on the part of the attendants were factors of considerable
importance.

We believe that these complaints are, as far as the maternity services
in general are concerned, entirely unjustified.

Taken as a whole, there is probably a more general use of
pain-relieving measures in New Zealand to-day than anywhere else in the
world.

Nevertheless, while commending what has already been done, we trust
that every endeavour will be made by the Health Department, the doctors
of the Dominion, and those responsible for the management of our
maternity hospitals to do everything possible to extend these
pain-relieving measures within the limits of safety, and to encourage
that sympathetic consideration of the individual which is so desirable.

While deprecating certain attacks which have been made on the St.
Helens Hospitals, and appreciating the fact that there are other
considerations involved besides the relieving of pain, we feel sure
that the Health Department will investigate the possibility of
improving the services rendered by these Hospitals by the introduction
of resident medical officers.

We agree with on