MAORI MEMORIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 January 1941, Page 2

MAORI MEMORIES

i HEALTH IN NEW ZEALAND. | (Recorded by J.H.S., of Palmerston North, j for the “Times-Age.") ! -—- ! The average duration of life among i the Maoris in the early days was diffi- | cult to ascertain. They counted periods by the moon, and had no records but memory. Then there were constant deaths from warfare. Captain Cook reported on the wonderful health of the ship’s crew while cruising round New Zealand’s coasts. ' but statistics of death and disease i among the pioneer settlers were not recorded. Fortunately the military records were prepared and published. It was clearly shown that the average I pioneer family was about ten, whilst sickness and death were rare. Reliable military records in New! Zealand show that the climate is as; favourable to the health of the people, as it is to vegetation, Civilians in those | days suffered less from sickness and, disease than soldiers who were crowd-: cd under less favourable conditions,* both mentally and physically. Despite many disabilities, soldiers in I New Zealand enjoyed better health than those stationed in any other part of Her Majesty's colonies. During the five years ending in March. 1853. residence in New Zealand saved the lives of 40 soldiers out of every 1000 who would have died had the troops been quartered in the United Kingdom. Twenty-two soldiers were constantly in hospital out of every 1000 here, j whereas in England forty out of every I 1000 were constantly sick. Intemperance was the direct and in-1 direct cause of the lamentable occur-1 rence of many suicides. Drowning wasj frequent among soldiers and settlers ini those early days. Apoplexy through; excessive drinking was more frequent ; here than in England.