HORRIBLE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1443, 18 May 1912, Page 13

HORRIBLE.

NATIVE BURYING GROUNDS. INSPECTOR'S DISCOVERY. MENACE TO PUBLIC HEALTH. (Br Toleirrasli.-Fmj Aajociution.) Gisborne, May 17. A t«rriblo slate of affairs has been revealed by the rei>ort which inspector l'ork has forwarded to tho, Cook Hospital Charitable Aid Bonrd in regard to tho insanitary Burrouuding oi natives. The report states:— On Friday, April 19, the corpse of a Nativo who had died irom typhoid fever in tho public hospital, was removed to iluriwai. A tangi wa.3 held, at which tho collin lid was removed. This corpse was kept unburied for throe days. During tho following fortnight 1 had four cases of typhoid from Iluriwai, one of which, I am fairly sure, was caused through tho tnngi. 1 respectfully ask tho board to tako such steps as will stop the bodies of persons being removed from any hospital in tho board's district who havo died from infectious diseases. _ except for direct burial. During my inspection at Yv'ninui on May 13, my attention was called to the stato of a Nativo burinl ground. I visited thiß burial ground, and there found a collin, quite intact, with the following inscription on th<i lid: "I mate Ito 15 Nga ra o maehe l'Jll on a tau 19." Tho translation is:—"Died March, 1911, aged 19 years." I his coffin stands unprotected on tho surfaco of the ground. On making inquiries I was told that the coffin contains the corpse of a Native who died in a public hospital twelvo months ago i'rom typhoid fever. There wero also a great number of bones strewn about this burial ground, but I ennnot say whether these are human remains or not. rhe stato of affairs hero is a great menace to public health. I would strongly recommend that this coffin bo removed and buried in mora solid ground; also that the bones bo collected and buried. This should be dono forthtt A, ' JaT6 wired to tho District Health Officer for instructions, but havo had no reply. I had a wire from the Minister for Internal Affairs asking for the names of the secretary or trustees of theso grounds, and, oil making inquiries for information on I his Doint, I was told that no responsible officer is at present living. Whilst making theso inspections I noticed the dead carcass of a horso about a couple of chains from tho burial ground. Tho carcass was in a very advanced state of decomposition, and tho stench from >it was terrlMe. Three dogs were feeding oft it, but on my approach, they left for their homo at the pa.

On making inquiries as to who owned tho horse, I was told that it belonged to a Native who had left tho district. I communicated with tho county officials, and asked them to allow their* inspector tu_ bury it forthwith, end they promised that this should bo done.

I call the board's attention to the difficulties to show that although there have been three deaths at this pa during the last three months (two from suspected typhoid and one from tuberculosis), tho inhabitants will allow such offensive matter to lie upon the surfaco of tho earth sooner than try to protect their health by burying it. Tho board was to have considered tho matter at a meeting to-night, but there was no quorum.