ENVIRONMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 37, 12 February 1926, Page 11

ENVIRONMENT

%fj A FACTOR TOWARDS GOOD ojg HEALTH Necessity for town-planning. :f>9 ■' ■ ' ■ ■ K^fj (By Telegraph.) ;;>',l (Special to "The Evening Post.") i*s >':■'■ •: DUNEDIN, This Day. n\{ In .his presidential address at the -■SjrchiVeets' Conference, Mr. W. M. *»yjage; (Wellington) made reference to hf.'pe ejpidemic of infantile paralysis in i*>;s23-2]4; '.'lt is," hesaid, "a terrible rfjiing^that in what was only a few ■*«'»; sears k"ago virgin country we should ?jV4»ve-this dread and mysterious dis»^e, while centuries old and densely; districts aro immune from it ■$;'ji epidemic form. It is to be hoped ■'^Vhat some.definite information as to its *"»,Jause will soon be forthcoming in or--s'iJer that its prevention may bo stud!*'4d. I can pay a deep tribute to the jSfjicmhDrs of the medical profession for *,|\Jie highly-skilled treatment and very service they have given, and I •Wave often wondered ii there iB any ?t*7ay in which we architects can co-ope--s>/»te in combating the evil, for wo ■,#lre • given ' to understand that the cpil•Tjiemict will recur. Tho only thing I i*"jave^fceen able to think of, howover, >/f thAt, as individuals, we should conifjjlerve^.&s much as possible the nervous j**: trength of children, and discourage cx.which is so common even in !*Mho life, of the child, to-day, and as a v'iiodyvto do all we can to forward townplanning with all that if embraces and -jjjneans. "Some years ago a writer (Major '.Cr.aenrj;' Barnes) in one of our journals, li'tta discussing the Ministry of Health ■■•v'jVhicfi had just been set up, pointed out fehatfcvery function of the Govern.C.ln en t,, as it realises itself, must appear ■..tin some architectural form. He won»Jlered how the Ministry of Health '.•Jjrould express itself, and voiced' the ?-K*aopo that it would not be negative yi'anly, not alone in clinics and hospitals, but ■in positive ways, better ifinouses, open spaces; in short, better pities, better in every way." He Risked if it was too impossible to hope i'.tme day for a Ministry of Happiness. >;j "I"do not think he was at all im*j possible. This is just exactly what advocated and aimed at, 'jVand if only we conld realise how indisenvironment, health, physical Tand °ihental, and happiness are intervinixdit, and how they act and react one the .other, we should press for •^town-planning without delay, lam i: f 'ecrtaih that cities and city life to-day ■Vare inimical to good^ health and happi-' ■;,fliess,>and I should like to see the medi-f;-ical profession join with surveyors, enf'tgineers, and ourselves to press for this ■^fmeaaure, the need for which is so eviqdent,'-,' ■ : " -■.-,: