IN SEARCH OF A DRY CLIMATE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22136, 26 September 1946, Page 4

IN SEARCH OF A DRY CLIMATE

WHILE methods of combating tuberculosis were being discussed

in the House of Representatives on Tuesday the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Parry, advocated a reciprocal arrangement with Australia so that sufferers in the incipient stages could be sent to New -South Wales, where, he said, there were some of the driest spots in the world. If, as is commonly supposed, dryness of climate is one of the helpful factors in checking and curing tuberculosis New Zealanders do not have to look beyond their own country for the ideal atmosphere. As a Minister of the Crown and particularly as Minister of Internal Affairs Mr, Parry should know enough about bis Dominion territory to be aware of this. The wisdom of building costly sanatoria and T.B. blocks on any part of the New Zealand coast has been previously questioned in these columns. In our opinion, no location would lie so suitable for the purpose as the healthy dry belt si retching in the lee of the Southern Alps down through the Mackenzie Country into Central Otago. In that area the conditions must he as nearly akin to those in much-publicised Switzerland as it is possible to find in either Australia or New Zealand.

Vie have accepted the supposition that there would be some objection to sending patients, especially Maori patients, so far away from their homes for treatment, but the mere thought of despatching people further afield to Australia is sufficient to lend point, once again to the proposal that, when the state of the building industry permits, new sanatoria should be built in the valleys and foothills of the great southern ranges.

Surely Mr. Parry is aware of the outstanding sunshine record of places like Lake Tckapo in the Mackenzie Country. His Government s Agricultural Department, could inform him that, whereas his home district, Auckland, has something like an average annual rainfall of 45 inches in over 180 rain days, Clyde and Alexandra (Central Otago), average between 10 and 15 inches of rain a year and hardly ever exceed 80 rain days. Most likely there are still drier places in parts of Australia, but for T.B. complaints it is to be doubted L there are any that are healthier. More important perhaps than the lack of rainfall is ihe clear drvness of the atmosphere as compared with the humidity of the coast.