HEALTH OF MAORIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 223, 20 September 1935, Page 16

HEALTH OF MAORIS.

PREVALENCE OF GOITRE. FIELD INVESTIGATIONS. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. The high incidence of goitr® in New Zealand is, according to the annual report of the Director of General Health) Dr. M. H. Watt, a major problem. Sir Robert MeCarrison, the well-known authority on this disease, had expressed his intention of visiting the Dominion, I but unfortunately his assistance is not yet available, as his visit .has been postponed. However, he has submitted reasoned criticism on past research work and made helpful suggestions for the future. "It is proposed," adds the report, "to continue the investigations on the lines he suggests. These will involve a considerable amount of field work in the way of a survey of water supplies, milk supplies, sanitary conditions, and so forth, in the Taranaki and Palmerston North areas." Deaths from cancer showed an increase during the year of 75, the mortality Tat© being 11.50 per 10,000. Cancer is one of the few diseases in regard of which the Maori 6hows definite superiority to the European, though it is suggested that this may be partly due to lack of accuracy in diagnosis, but the general position of Maori health is regarded as satisfactory. The problem is partly economic, and until the Maori has better houses and becomes selfsupporting educative measures are largely doomed to failure. "For this reason alone," eays the Director-General, "those interested in the welfare of the Maori race view with appreciation attempts under the native land development scheme to turn the I Maori into a self-dependent farmer.'*- j