HYGIENE OF THE TANGI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13482, 5 July 1907, Page 7

HYGIENE OF THE TANGI.

A CONFERENCE. OF SANITARY i INSPECTORS. ; I

A.v important conference of native sanitary inspectors of the North Island n't be commenced on Monday, in Auckland, and will probably last a week. There ( are eight Maori sanitary inspectors in we { North Island, and five are stationed in r the Auckland health district. The conference will be presided over by Dr. Pomare, native health officer, and Dr. , Buck (Rangihiroa), his assistant, and Dr. , John S. Purdy, district health officer at x Auckland, will assist." .".'", li is intended to give the Maori in- ] spectors practical demonstrations and lee- { tures on sanitation ' matters. These will include lectures on the best sites for laying out Maori settlements, and construction of buildings, general sanitation of ; the village, and the keeping of animals in ; the villages. " Soecial attention will be i j devoted to the housing question, said ■ Dr. Buck to a Herald reporter yester- ; day. "Wherever possible, Maoris were , building a better class of house, and with ' I better material than formerly, abandoning the old rush houses, which were badly floored, and bad in other ways. Ihe •; necessity for cleanliness, prevention o. !overcrowding, the destruction of old and ; out-of-date buildings, food and water supplies, clothing, and the disposal of garbage and scavenging of villages, will t>e i dealt with. The treatment of infectious {diseases, and the use of disinfectants and disinfection generally will also be touched upon. The gathering oi large numbers of Maoris at tangis land large meetings was not conducive to the best of sanitation being generally, observed." An endeavour is to be made in the future to have a Maori sanitary inspector present at all large meetings and tangis, to see that the sanitary arrangements are satisfactory. The inspectors worked in conjunction with the -Maori Councils, and they would also see .hat the by-laws of the councils were enforced. ~„ .• C +V.O Dealing with the qualifications 01 tne inspectors, Dr. Buck said, "These men are selected not only for their intelligence, 'but also from the fact that they are men of standing, so that their word will carry weight with the tribe. They have not only to act .as ordinary inspectors, but to , I see that the by-laws of the Maori Counci. j ' are carried out, and to a certain extent, they are like teachers in sanitation. j It is expected that with the additional knowledge" that will be imparted to.tnc ; inspectors in sanitation matters genei- . allv the condition of the Maons will be materially changed in a lew years. __^_________—