INVESTIGATING HEALTH IN N.Z. FACTORIES

Chronicle (Levin), 23 May 1947, Page 2

INVESTIGATING HEALTH IN N.Z. FACTORIES

CHRISTCHURCH, May 22. "It is very clear that the condition of some factories is very good and ot some not so good, and it is also very clear that there is quite a big task to be done if we are to bring up tKe standard of factory conditious in this country to the level of housing conditions," said Dr. T. O. Garland who, in February, arrived from England to open the division of industri'.ll health in the Health Department, in an interview today. Dr. Garland said the new division of the Health Department had no staff yet as it thought it better in the first three months te try t? ge| a background of factory conditions in New Zealand. To that end he had spent almost his entire tinie going over the factories in the four centfes. Hc had seen more than 100 so far. As a newcomer he was impressed with the obvious absence of sluin housing but he did not think that the claini that New Zealanders led the Old Country in relation to housing, cxisted in relationship to their varying conditions, said Dr. Garland. The actua! ranue of standard of factories was extreme. He had been into some fa--tories which could not be beaten hnywhere but there were some very surprisingly bad factories. The majorriy were somewhere intermediate in the se-ale. "I think that what we require is a pool of information on matters thai affeet health at work and the machin ery for collecting further knowledge and an increase in the eonsciousness of the importance of healthy working con ditions," said Dr. Garland. Most managements had been most cooperative in showing him their prernises. ( On a matter like health in industry there was relatively a common groun.l between the management" and workers A man' who had had only medical train ing needed a considerable amount ov instruction both from workers and management on matters affecting health, for the normal medical man',4 training nqver took .him into a factory. So as to obtain a crossj sectioi] of working conditions he had gonelnto factories big and small and deliberate lv into good factories and bad. M , .. I ■ kM