OPTIMIST CLUB

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 May 1940, Page 7

OPTIMIST CLUB

ASPECTS OF SANITATION. INTERESTING ADDRESS BY MR. T. A. RUSSELL. Chief Smiler Murray Daniell presided over a good attendance at the weekly gathering of the Masterton Optimist Club. The Sheriff's session conducted by Sheriff E. J. Esler provided the “cat” with several fines. Optimist Hugh Wright led in the song session, end Optimist Lawson Pither presided at the piano. The speaker was a past Chief Smiler,. the borough health inspector, Mr. T. A. Russell, who filled the breach at the last minute. Mr. Russell, who received an attentive hearing, gave an enlightening address on aspects of sanitation. “During the past 60 years more progress has been made in preventive and curative medicine than during the whole period since the dawn of civilisation,” stated Mr. Russell. “Preventive medicine” included town planning, engineering, architecture, sanitary plumbing, etc., and during that period so much has been accomplished that the average life today in England is 15 years longer than it was 50 years ago, and our New Zealand average life is longer still. A generation or twn ago a father usually outlived more than half of his family. Mr. Russell referred to the wide field of public health measures, stating that for sanitary inspectors to ensure intelligent co-operation, it was necessary for persons interested to know something of the underlying principles. “All organic life is born, grows, comes to maturity, flourishes, declines, dies, decays, returning to the elemental wealth of the world, is taken up byfresh life, and thus the cycle goes on,” stated Mr. Russell. Mr. Russell dealt in detail with the treatment of decayed matter in the garden, contending that a large amount of valuable organic matter was lost through indiscriminate wastage per the rubbish tin. Mr. Russell urged the intelligent use of waste matter by shallow burial in the gardens, pointing out the mistake of burying organic matter too deeply. Mr. Russell answered several questions. Sheriff Esler thanked Mr. Russell for his interesting address, a vote of thanks being carried in the usual manner.