HANDYMEN NEEDED IN CHINA

New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 383, 25 October 1946, Page 19

HANDYMEN NEEDED IN CHINA

Work of Friends’ Ambulance Unit

EN New Zealanders working with the Friends’ Ambulance Unit in China sent messages home to their families recently with an English member of the unit, V. M. Stone, who spent five weeks in the Dominion on his way home to England via Australia and the United States. While he was in Auckland waiting for a ship-he was planning to work his passage-Mr. Stone recorded a talk (heard from 1YA recently) ‘and called at The Listener office to tell us about the ten New Zealanders (nine men and one woman) now working in Honan, north-central China, with headquarters on the borderline of the National and Communist governments’ territories. In the first place, he said, those New Zealanders are all in the best health; and they are all doing the varied work of the unit. Two are doctors, one is a hospital business manager, three more work in the hospital (doing the work of dispensers, medical mechanics, maintenance experts), two are transport

drivers and one a transport depot manager, amd one is organising a school of technology where Chinese students can be trained in skilled meckanical work. The Scholar and the Peasant "This we find one of the greatest drawbacks," Mr. Stone said, "that there is such a huge gap between the scholar and the peasant in China. You can take in mechanical gear, medical equipment and so on but you won't find anyone able to work it." In 1940 the unit was set up with 40 British members but now there are 130 members, British, Canadians, American, Chinese and New Zealand. Some have always been at work on the transport of medical supplies (which were trucked through on the Burma Road for some time) and others with actual medical work among the people. Since the end of the war the convoy has been concentrated in reoccupied Honan province where its particular work is in reorganising and restocking damaged hospitals, and in combating disease such as the lice and flea-borne fevers, and the virus disease, kala-azar, believed to be carried by the sandfly. By restoring sanitation and instituting systems of cleanliness the unit hopes to reduce the 80-90 per cent mortality rate claimed by this disease, especially in children. Health by Stealth "And how do you set about this work?" we asked. ~ "With soldiers it is fairly simple because they are used to discipline and take treatment regularly. But with the peasants we found it necessary to invent all sorts. of devices. One useful thing was to introduce them to hot showers which they liked very much. "If a group of children, or even pees found a mortar shell," Mr. Stone , "there seemed to be _an irresistible