Natives Hard Hit.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 23 November 1918, Page 3

Natives Hard Hit.

DISTRESSING CONDITIONS AT MANAKAU AND THE KUKU.

'MANY NATIVE DEATHS

The serious nature of the epidemic iamoiig the Maoris, especially at the Kuku, has been brought vividly "home to those in authority during the last few Mays. Yesterday the Mayor (Mr O. Blenkhorn) accompanied by Nurse Gilroy toured tihe Maori settlements in the vicinity of Ohau. They found that there was not a great deal amiss with the natives at the Buller Lake, but in the large settlement alt the Kuku the situation was deplorable. Not only were there a very large number of cases, but tdi-e natives were quite without help or advice, andl under the circumstances it was not to be wondered iat that a panicky spirit was very noticeable, the fact that there had 'been •five burialis in the Ohau cemetery for the 24 horn's contributing not a little to the general alarm. Wlhile making their tour of inspection the Levin visitors met Dr. Howe (who had been sent up by the Government) and Mr Reidi, a health officer, and conferred with them on the'matter. The doctor stated that ho fad no orders to stay in that part of the district and the Mayor immediately communicated with Dr. MaikgiH, pointing out the seriousness of the position, and asking that Dr. Howe be left at Manakau, for work there. 1

It was .agreed that a temporary hospital at the .Kuku, in addition to the one at Manakau, wap one of the most pressing needs, but the difficulty .was to find a suitable person to take etiarge. This was solved to-day by Mr G. M. Henderson, the schoolmaster at- Ohau. coming forward and generously offering to take control. It ip 'hoped, therefore, that good work will be* done foi the natives, whose great need appears to be to have their coo-fideiioe restore !.

The conduct of affa'-s south of Olnri will lie left in the hands of the Manakau andl Otaki people, and Levin will look after the natives on this side of Ohau. Thus dual control will be avoided. Mr Frank Penn, the district member ot' the Hospital Board, ha>been _ indefatigable in endeavouring to ameliorate the conditions at Manakau and the surrounding pahs.

The Otaki Mail says the condition of affairs in the Manalsa/u district, especially among the native people, is causing crave concern. Br Howe, w.ho was sent by the Health Department to Kelp with the trouble, has had a busy time. "Some idea of the extent of the epidemic may be ga/ugedl by the fact that Dr •Howe has already treated 88 patients, ■while the opinion is expressed that between Matiaikau and the Kuku there are some 200 person.s affected. Unfortunately there have been more deaths. ' _ The Manakau residents held a meeting on Thursday evening and decadedi to open a temporary hospital to meet the needs of those who are not receiving proper attention. Mr Frank Penn, a member of the Pahnerston Hospital Board, visited Manakau yesterday, and arranged for the opening of a hospital in the school building. The securing of a trained nurse to take charge was a great difficulty, Wellington "and 1 Pahnerston being quite unable to supply one. It was ascertained, however, that a trained nwrse (Mrs Miles) had just arrived at Manaikau, where slhe was making hot- brother-in-law. A deputation waited on her and she agreed to accept the temporary position of nurse-in-charge. It was hoped to g»t the patients in this morning. The hospital will be .staffed with volunteer nurses and an appeal is made to Manakau ladies to take their share of this work. . j Scarcely a house in the Kuku has escaped the epidemic and in some homes ; every member of the family is down—as many as eight and ten patients in some houses. The sufferers are consequently not getting proper food and atten- - taon. Some of the natives, when in a high state of fever, have crawled from their beds and drunk copiously of cold water, with' disastrous effects. It is to meet this emergency that the hospital is being opened at Manaikau. The well-known To Hiwi family has suffered severely. . Toby Te Hiwi, aged 23, died on "Wednesday night, while his father Kera Te Hiwi diedi yesterday, and another brother, Peter, died at the Narrow Neck camp at Auckland'. Paul Matahaere. a well-known tennis player, .aged about 21, died yesterday morning, and his sister, Alice, aged 14, succumbed: on Thursday afternoon. Another young native' in the i pram© of life, Rangp Hukiki, IW s-etl \ away yesterday morning. All these are \ well-known Kuku natives.

ADVICE TO CONVALESCENTS.

From ©very centre of thte epidemic <ome stories of the fatal effects that follow upon patients leaving their beds too soon. One Palmereon sufferer 4iacj got over the worst of Hlsi attack and foolfeMy got up to milik a cow. He suffered a relapse andi died 1 in a couple oi days. In another ease a returned soldier disregarded the advice of his attendants and insisted on leaving his bed. to attend/ the funeral of his brother, also a returned soldier. He afeo caught a frceb ohiH and died. ; In b«v-

era-l cases the relapse came with fatal results to sufferers Who got up to see the peace demonstration." Similar incidents are reported from Wellington. A well-known commerciall traveller felt so well that he not only persisted) in getting up, but went for a walk down town, against the advice of those near and dear to him. He now lies at Karori. A dentist, who was, "doing nicely'' felt good enough to get lip, and, acting on his feelings, I he rose from bed, moved about tho ( room in. light attire, and then thought | he would shave himself. As he shaved a c'hill had struck home; septic pneumonia set in and lie died within a few hours. In another case, a young man in the hardware business rose from bed before he should, and was at the telephone telling his firm that he would- bo at work again in the morning, when he collapsed and died within a short time. "Wi.'-'e people will remain in bed at least a week after they feel like getting up," said a Wellington medical man in discussing this point. ''Quite a proportion "of the deaths that are occurring aire due to serious relapses 011 the part of the people who will get up | as soon as they feel tlicnvelven picking | up. That is the maddest folly. The slightest chill, pei'haps imperceptible to the patient, brings on the disease in its very worst form, and the chances are then very much against recovery." ADVICE IN BRIEF. The District Health Officer, Dr. Makgill, gives some advice regarding the epidemic: "Overcrowding, without doubt, is the greatest sin against sanitation. "One lesson which has impressed itself very greatly on all who have studied the cpidemic is the danger of overcrowding—crowding of persons in houses, railways or trams. "Excess of disinfecting solution creates a diamp atmosphere, which' is -unwholesome.

"People should take advantage of bright weather to put their household effects out in the open air, while tlvey scrub their houses and generally air them. The brighter weather should have a wholesome effect, if only by bringing people out from their houses into the open-air and sunlight. These are tlita ■ best disease preventives.

"There in a terrible wastage of disinfectants;" jDr Hakgill added. "Nothing is gained by overdtoing it. There are certain strengths which need not be exceeded. Disinfectants are short, and therefore should not be wasted. For example, formalin for ordinary disinfection in houses can be used in a solution of one in a hundred. With disinfectants of the -kerol, Jy-'ol and phenol kind one in fifty is sufficient for all householduses. The damping of a surface with a cloth moistened with such a disinfectant solution is quite as effective and much less wasteful than pouring buckets of disinfectant over tlhe surface.

"The organisms in connection with influenza and pneumonia are easily .killed outside the body, andi the ordinary methods of disinfection are ext remedy effective. Disinfection by the burning of sulphur is useless unless the sulphur is strongly usedi. The strength is 31b to 1000 cubic feet, and the rooms should be closed."