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Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 May 1927, Page 9

Two cases of the curious rice disease, beriberi, one of which proved fatal, were reported to the Health Office last week. Both the .patients were Chinese. The disease, which is rare in New Zealand, is not infectious. It is a food disease purely and simply arising from the consumption of polished rice. Sufferers lose power in, the limbs and are subject to swellings and dropsical conditions. “Undoubtedly,” said Dr. H. Chesson, Medical Officer of Health, “if Europeans depended on one particular class of over-refined food they would suffer either from beriberi or scurvy.” “Every schoolboy in England knows the name New Zealand because of the history of the war, but the letters ‘N.Z. 7 are absolutely nothing to him,” stated Mr H. Bennett, of Tinui, Waivarapa, at the inter-provincial conference of farmers at Levin when moving a remit, “that all manufactured articles, including produce exported from the Dominion, be clearly and legibly marked ‘Made in New Zealand,’ and that the common abbreviation ‘N.Z. ’ be discontinued in this connection/' “New Zealand,’’ Mr Bennett went on to state, “produces some of the finest goods in the world, but they are not sufficiently known abroad. Competition is becoming keener every year, and we must strive to keep in the forefront of our competitors in the world’s trade. New Zealand has nothing to be ashamed of in Tespeet of the cpialitv of her products, and she should not be ashamed to so brand them that everybody will know where they come from. Although the war has been over only a few years, we have Germany boldly marking her goods, ‘Made in Germany,’ and bundling them into this country. Japan does the same. Why cannot New Zealand do so?’’ The remit was carried unanimously. The residents of Grahamstown, Thames, were startled the other afternoon by a loud report from the direction of the Lucky Shot mine. It was caused by the bursting of a boiler weighing over two tons, which bad been converted into a receiving chamber for the mine’s air compression plant. The circular door of the receiver was hurled about 50 yards by the force -of the explosion. Fortunately the workmen of the mine weie not in the vicinity at the time of the explosion.