I received your paper on Maternity Scheme, and I can assure you it
brought back to me many painful hours of what I have passed through in
twenty-one years of married life. For one thing, I have had a delicate
husband for fifteen years, and I have had nine children, seven born
in nine years. I have only one now; some of the others have died from
weakness from birth. I only had a small wage, as my husband was then
a railway porter. His earnings were 18s. one week and 16s. the next,
and I can say truthfully my children have died from my worrying how to
make two ends meet and also insufficient food. For many of my children
I have not been able to pay a nurse to look after me, and I have got
out of bed on the third day to make my own gruel and fainted away. My
little girl which is just fourteen years old, from the first month of
pregnancy until my nine months were up I attended the hospital and
had a hospital nurse in to confine me.... A woman with little wage
has to go without a great deal at those times, as we must give our
husbands sufficient food or we should have them home and not able to
work; therefore we have to go without to make ends meet. Before my
confinements and after I have always suffered a great deal with bearing
down, and doctors have told me it is weakness, not having enough _good_
food to keep my health during such times. My little girl I have was
under the doctor for seven months, being a weak child born, and I for
one think that if I had a little help from someone I should have had
my children by my side to-day. It has only been through weakness they
have passed away. It is with great pleasure I write this letter to you.
I could say a deal more on sufferings of women if I saw you.
_Wages 16s. to 18s.; nine children, one still-birth, one miscarriage._