PUBLIC HEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 232, 5 November 1909, Page 4

PUBLIC HEALTH.

THE CUV OF THE UJXSUMPTLVt:. I>R. MASON'S FINAL RKt'OIIT, "The general health of the dominion iia> been good. J here lias been no epidemic of infectious disease ot any gieai magnitude. Diphtheria has appeared in various districts, but. loriunaiejy, the death rate has been low. Outbreaks oi enteric fever have taken place in several places, the most important being l.ial which occurred in oisborne.'' Tm-seare the leading features of a repori from the late Uhief Health Ollicer ilJr. Mason i upon the work of his department ln>i year. A considerable amount of space k filled with a long report of Dr. Mason's address to a local body upon consumption. Ihi regard to the State sanatorium at Cambridge, it is pointed out that

"Te Waikato" still continues its bene ficeiil work. "Those who complain about the expenditure should visit the place, inquire into its working, and hear what the -patients say. 1 should be sorry to see its usefulness cur tailed." comments Dr. Mason.

. TtJKK PLAXTIN(i. Of I hi' camp fur ''cured*' consumptives at K.arcre, the report states; "The only fault is that the encampment is too >inali. The work of cutting Li-treescrub is hardly suitable for 'cured' consuiup tives, hut the tree-planting: is about as* good as one could get. Some misconception has arisen w illi regard to lie liiiaucial aspect of this experiment. It would stem that *omc critics were under the impression that because it had been stated that one man had made 8s a day, 8s per day was the standard wage. Thai is not so. The patients are paid al the same rate per 1000 trees planted as the ordinary planter is paid. If he plants 500 trees he gets 4s, and so on pro rata. < There iis jrt> iijuc.stioiii of tin* .State giving a full day's pay to a man who has only earned half. The man gels what 'lie earns. Out of his earnings he pays for his food and hi* share of running the camp. The department provides the tents and all necesary buildings; also &. sister and a nurse, to supervise the work from a remedial point of view. 'Karere' is truly the ' forerunner' and the ' Ivringer of hope.' The experiment has shown tJiat it pays to look after our sick. .Several who have been 'hardened oil'' at Karere have gone back to their ordinary work <juite recovered."' THE APPEAL OF THE WOMAN. Karere is the hope of the men, but there is no such help for the "cured'' consumptive woman, on who behalf the report contains an urg.'M. appeal. "If the lot. of the man snlVeriig from con-, sumption is hard, truly the path of tit woman is often awful in its hopeles<| ne>s." states Dr. Mason. " ! speak of | tho-e who are poor, anil have few friends. A housemaid or a dressmaker, perhaps dependent entirely upon "her eai n. in"--, falls sii-k. tirant thai she has been able to pet. early admission to a sanatorium, aid that she recovers, where can >he go to to earn a livelihood? It has only to be mentioned that <he has come from a sanatorium and her way is barred to Iter former occupation, one. either the central authority or the several hospital boards, should i provide a farm where such poor souls could work. If a plaee and shelter* wen l provided by the < Jovernnieni. the l various boards would. T am sure, e<vii tribute. The Xelson Hoard has already ajrirmed its willingness to do so. t'ntil suitable work is provided-such as he.*keeping, poultry-raising, enrlv llowergrowing, etc.—for the 'cured' woman, much of the good done in the sanatoria and annexe* will be wasted."