TE ARAROA EPIDEMIC.

Gisborne Times, Volume LI, Issue 5343, 2 December 1919, Page 6

TE ARAROA EPIDEMIC.

HON. G. W. EUSSELL’S

ASSERTIONS

WAIAPU HOSPITAL BOARD’S

POSITION

In the course of conversation with several gentlemen from the Coast, a Times reporter was informed that resentment. was felt at the attitude of the Hon. G- W. Eussell in regard to his statements, with reference to tne outbreak of typhoid at Te Araroa, by members of the Waiapu Hospital Board and Te Araroa Health Committee. , . , The Hon. 0. W. Russell’s statement that the Board had made inadequate arrangements, was in particular resented. It was stated that the position was that the Waiapu Hospital Board by deputation at ‘Wellington in May, 1917, interviewed the Hon. G- W. Eussell and Dr Frengley,. asking him to visit the Waiapu district, including 16 Araroa and Euatorea, in order to clear up the nosition of the Waiapu Hospital Board* in respect of hospital matters. Under the then existing arrangements, the Government appointed the Native nurses, and paid their salary, whilst the Waiapii Hospital Board paid the cost of their keep and the probationers’ salary. llie Board was anxious for matters to be placed on a proper footing- and desired to have its position defined as they (the Boaid) had practically no control. the Minister and his Departmental head (Mi Frengley) promised to visit the district and to look into matters. Mr Eussell had been repeatedly requested since bv letter to visit. \\ aiapu, but there had been no. response whatever until the recent visit of Dr Watt during the height of the epidemic. The Native nurses left ie Araroa about six months ago, when the conditions entirely changed and the nursing staff at Te Araroa was engaged by tlie B At d 'Euatorea however, the nurses W ere still under the Native Depart control. There was a small “tta<4 here, and the Board declined to enlarge and embark on a larger scale at Euatorea, although it was needed until it had ascertained its position with the Department and cleared up the whole matter. Ihis the Board had been endeavoring to do for the past two years without sue cess The position had also been _ fully represented to Dr Watt during his recent visit to the Coast, but so far there had been no outcome to the representations.*" Another anomalous position arose in connection with the Health Inspector for the district, who was engaged by the Government, but paid bv° the Board. , , _ . , "The Te Araroa settlers had been battling with, the Department for several years, and as far back as the Hospital Commission in Gisborne they had been urging the Government to clear the matter up. Dr. Valintine, on that occasion, paid a hurried visit to Waiapu. but proceeded only as far as Te Puia Hospital. The position was put before him as fully as possible at the short notice, and he promised to come up again at an early date. One of the clauses in the Government’s instructions to the Native nurses, they pointed out, was that they were to attend to the Natives and may. in case of emergencies, attend to Europeans. The Board, however, wanted patients whether pakeha or Maori, to be treated alike, without any discrimination, and this had been one of the hones of contention right through in the representations to both the Minister and Dr Frengley. The Board had done its best in connection with the epidemic, but after all, they were only novices in connection with matters affecting the public health. They considered it was the Government's duty to send trained medical orderlies up from Wellington (where they had plenty) to cope with the situation, instead of merely sending men up to report and which reports they had never seen. If the nursing arrangements, as now contended by the Minister, were inadequate, it was surely the duty of the Department’s officials to have pointed this out to the Te Araroa committee.

According to the Minister’s statement the Hospital Board was blamed in connection with the epidemic, but in this connection they failed to understand why the local authorities should be blamed when the Government was represented on the spot by Dr Wi Repa (who is subsidised by the Government to attend to the Natives), by the local health inspector, and when Dr Buck, a Government official, had visited Te Araroa early in the epidemic. These recurring epidemics of typhoid in the Waiapu were due to the conditions under which the Maoris live, and whilst the Government passed legislation compelling settlers to provide nroper quarters for shearer, thev failed utterly in their duty to the" Maori people and it was grossly unfair that the responsibility and cost, of coping with these successive epidemics should fall on the shoulders of the European settlers through the Government’s ineptitude. Effective measurs should be taken to stamp out the disease.