MENACE TO HEALTH

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19106, 29 August 1936, Page 2

MENACE TO HEALTH

TOO MUCH SUGAR EATEN

IMPROVING THE DiET

FRUIT AND MILK URGED

(Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day

Excessive consumption ot sugar "a* strongly condemned by Mr. H. L. 11mring (Lab.. mid-Canterbury) m the House of Representatives when the estimates of the Health Department were under consideration.

The fact that Maoris bad >ved u ‘ this country for centuries before tin. arrival of white people and never had teeth trouble proved that it ''«* that was the cause o! tronbu vitm teeth of people to-day. he declared. « > much sugar was consumed, said -'ll. Herring. 'Some years ago. the consumption of sugar per capita was about 18 lbs., now it. had gone up to over 901 Us. i-DireCtlv a new school is built.” lm added, “a lolly shop is built wdimi.or" 100yds of the gate and I ■j- loU> shoTi prospers exceedingly. .1 v . supplv of lollies should be cut down very much for adults and a great deal more for children. When Mr. Herring had finished his sceech Air. J. A. Lee, Pnrhamemaiy Under-Secretary, caused a Tin nt lauehter bv walking aevos-s to mm with a B bag of lollies and offering hint Cl k which Mr. Herring smilingly accepted. Mr. H. G. Dickie (Nat.. Fa tea). the next- speaker, said it was a reproach to the- people of-New Zealand ihnt to maftv of them were suffering from teeth troubles. It could not be conditions, because the old Mnon> . wonderful sets of teeth. “ NEED FOR PUBLICITY

Mr W .1 Broadfoot (Nat., Wailomoi said - that "‘Mr. Herring had rawed an ; m,portant question of sweets xoisu* nuit. He"' thought that, a very good --LL > tion was that automatic '• e mhl ■- machines for apples and oranges, m 1 stalled* in schools. The Minister of Health and Education, m Linfi V - Eraser, agreed Uiat. ->i l • hnd'sS.k a ™.y impoi'Uml IS iS regards l. diet, T„ c „ *». .» doubt that a superabundance ol -su -u had “a very bad effect upon health, a—in his opinion it was the duty of the Health Department, the medical sioir- and’ the Education Department io Sake facts known about health, without fear or favour of whether n .suited commercial interests or not. - 11,1 .* very essential, but very often the piM wakappallingM'AH medical anlbomu-> agreed that fruit, was* absolutely es.**ential to health, particularly m the case of children. He was grateml to MiHerring for bringing the matter lo his attention and also to those who supported Mr. Herring.

Referring to South Australian oranges, the Minister -said that oranges wci essential to the health of children and should be available to the childien o the poorest- parents, but many could not get access to them because the puce was -prohibitive. What family could afford oranges at threepence each, hr asked. Representations should be; macte to the South Australian authorities regarding the. price at which oranges were sold.* - “Tplace milk as more important than fruit!.’' he continued, “and once the problem of the supply of imlk to school children is tackled, organised, and n* operation, we will: have .a .very good case to see if. by some other means, children can be guaranteed flu apple a dav.”