MAORI HOUSING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 14, 12 October 1945, Page 2

MAORI HOUSING

BETTER CONDITIONS URGED METHOD OF COMBATTING DISEASE Commendation for the work of tlie district nurses in his territory was expressed 111 the House of' Representatives by Mr W. -Sullivan (National Bay of Plenty) t during the discus, sion on the Health Estimates. Tlie

he said were at. call almost day and night. Mr Sullivan went 011 to say that the report of the Health Department disclosed a disturbing incidence of tuberculosis, among the Maori people. The incidence per 1000 population among Europeans was 3.47 and among the Maoris the incidence ranged l'rom 25.48 per 1000 in the South Island to in the North Island. The report indicated that one of the reasons for the high incidence of tuberculosis was the fact that Maori housing was not satisfactory wnd it went on to say that money spent on improving Maori housing would produce bigger dividends in Maori health. Maori housing on the East Coast was in a deplorable condition, he said. He. suggested that portable' Army huts might give decent temporary accommodation. The Government was spending millions of pounds on elaborate hospital accommodation and it seemed to him that the. best method of tackling the problem would be to improve the Maori housing and living conditions in order to reduce the number of patients.