RISE OF BALOLA

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25139, 21 March 1947, Page 8

RISE OF BALOLA

WORMS FEEDING ON CORAL MELTED BY SUN IN FOUR HOURS From Our Own Reporter GERALDINE, March 20. The rise of the balola was a sight which she would always remember, said Nurse M. Barry, who for three years has been health sister under the Medical Officer of Health at Lautoka, Fiji, and who has returned to Geraldine for a short holiday before taking up another position in New Zealand. “The balola,” said Nurse Barry, “is a worm about 18 inches in length, which feeds on the coral. Once a year it rises to the surface, and on the day that I saw the phenomenon, in less than 10 minutes the sea was a seething mass of worms which four hour's later had been melted by the glare of the sun.” Many attempts had been made to forecast the day the balola would rise, continued Nurse Barry; but for the most part these attempts were sheer guess-work. She had been on board ship on November 17, when the balola had risen throughout the islands in the Pacific. This had been the date forecast, by Mr Harold Gatty. Her appointment was similar to that of a district nurse, but in her case the territory was much larger, the population comprising about 6000 Fijians and 20.000 to 30,000 Indians. Conditions under which she worked were primitive judged by standards in the hospitals in New Zealand; but she soon learnt to improvise, and little difficulty was experienced. The standard of health was reasonably good among the population. Nurse Barry expressed the opinion that the health of the Fijians, at any rate, was superior to that of the Maoris in this country. The educational standard among Fijians was so poor that preventive cure was out of the question. The fear of sending their children ta hospital for treatment until they were bordering on death was a problem which could only be solved by education, and no doubt this was responsible for the extremely high mortality rate among Fijian children of ages ranging up to five years. Mortality among the Indian children was not nearly so high, mainly because the parents were more amenable to reason and took heed of the advice given by the doctors and nufses. “Although liquor was on sale from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. there was less drunkenness noticeable than in New Zealand,” said Nurse Barry. Spirits and beer were reasonably plentiful. The Fijians and Indians could drink only with a permit which was issued by the District Commissioner, and the amount that a man was allowed to drink was dependent upon his salary. The photograph of the holder of a permit was attached, and «s these were stamped each time liquor was purchased it was impossible for a permit to be used by anyone not entitled to it. ,