DR. MAKGILL ON AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12044, 14 August 1902, Page 4

DR. MAKGILL ON AUCKLAND.

Seeing that a frank and confident criticism is rarely to be obtained, we commend to the attention of the councillors, boardsmen' and citizens of the Province the official report of Dr. Makgill upon the Auckland Public Health District, which we pub-: lish in another column. While Dr. Mason; in Wellington, has been strenuously devoting his energies to the popularising of crematoriums and-the enforcement of vaccination,

■ ■ ■ . —— . ■ ■'.. . ■■. ' Dr. Makgill has remarried true to th«, faith that the one thing necessary : for the salvation of the human race is "drains." And there is so much truth in this, albeit* it is not the entire'truth, that we can all accept' cheerfully the tirade of the Doctor concerning the money which he mistakenly imagines the city of Auckland has been " culpably" spending on " such things as tramways," and can almost, but not quite, forgive him foi still blotting with a" pesthouse our public park. What we doubt, in the face of the Rotorua drainage scandal, is whether a bureaucracy would drain.us any better than we have drained ourselves. But Dr. Makgill favours the amalgamation of contiguous populous districts and the extension of county organisation as the initiatory step towards sanitary reform. Upon this the great majority of our citizens will cordially agree with him. A. Greater Auckland might be, quite is neglected; l as the present nebubus system, but it would .be'easier S administer well if we were so disused. - That the city and province a«j well disposed, towards sanitary rearms and are awakening to the necessity fol taking scientific ,precaulons aganst disease and , its se- f quel,' prernatire- death, is shown byi many indicaions. But we need stirrirg up before we do all that we ought 'to .do, ■arid we can evidently ' trust Dr. Majgill to perform for us that good offiie.