MAORI HEALTH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 20, 31 October 1944, Page 2

MAORI HEALTH

HOUSING AND HYGIENE

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTED

"Some of the Maoris- in this district are living under conditions which intelligent animals would instinetly avoid " declared Mr H. 11. Barker at, the meeting of the Ccok Hospital Board recently when commenting on the report of a sp;eial committee which recommended the appointment of additional district nurses in the board's area. Mr Barker said that the committee had had the advantage of m ich valuable advice from its own and other experts. So far as Europeans were concerned, it seemed to be clear that a good deal of hospitalisation could be avoided if adequate home nursing services were available. If the number of occupied beds could be reduced by only two, the cost of an additional nurse .would be justified. So far as the Maoris were concerned, however it was far less a question of home nursing than of housing conditions and hygiene. Reports by the medical superintenDr., R. J. B. Hall, by the medical officer of health Dr. T. C. J Lonic. Dr. C.-Taylor, director of the division of tuberculosis, and by others all made it clear that housing was tlie crux of the problem and that, little real progress could be made until this problem Avas solved. The first requirement of home nursing was a reasonable home j and the second was at least an elementary knowledge, of hygiene; and the majority of Maoris lacked both. Infantile Death Rate Compared Mr Barker .said that in one local county more than 23 per cent of the Maori homes contained onlj' one room and another 18 per cent contained only two rooms. He 'knew of one case where 12 Maoris including 1 0 one adult m lived in one room. Until this situation was. remedied preventive medicine was largely wasted. It was little wonder that the infantile death rate among Maoris was more than three times that among Europeans. "Enough money has been spent on huis ? meetinghouses and social security loi Maoris to have done a lot to remove the present conditions of Maori housing,'' said Mr Barker. "He knew of one. small area where there warT a meetinghouse to every 12 houses. It seemed to him that the whole outlook in regard to Maori welfare outlook lacked balance and that until they tackled the problem at its in the homes no real or satisfactory progress would be made.

He moved that the Minister of Health be written to and informed that much of the work of the hospital and other health services was nullified owing to lhe appalling living conditions of the Maoris, who provide 30 per cent of the hoard's country and that he lie asked to make representations to have the rehousing of the. Maori population dealt with as a matter of the. utmost urgency. Mr L. H. L. Maclean seconded the motion. Air E. R. Black remarked that water supply and sanitation in the Maori settlements were of the utmost importance, and he suggested that these matters should be included in the recommendations to be made to the. Minister.: The mover agreed to this. The so was carried unanimously. I