CARE OF CONSUMPTIVES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 124, 19 October 1914, Page 7

CARE OF CONSUMPTIVES.

SUGGESTED .STATE CONTROL. MINISTER BELIEVES IN BOARDS. DOMINION PROPAGANDA PROPOSAL.

By Telegraph.—Per Press Association. Wellington, Saturday.

Important statements relative Ho the prevalence of consumption in tlie Dominion were made to-day when a deputaltion from the Wellington Hospital Board waited oni the Minister for public Health.

Rev. W. A. Evan3 (chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board), said the deputation Iliad come to consider with tihe Minister It'ho question of carrying wit propaganda against tuberculosis. Wellington has recently appointed Mr Basie Adams, whom they r oelieve to he a valuable man, ho head the campaign for the Board. Mr Adams would arrive here at the beginning of next yaer. The feeling of the Board was that the, campaign must be curried on clearly defined lines if the hestl results were to be obtained. The Dominion should be divided into districts, in each of which a sanatorium should lie established. Secondly, all sanatoria should be esiubliislicd on the sarnie footing, and be taken over by llhe Government or administered by the Boards as at present.

THE NECESSITY RECOGNISED. The Minister, in reply, said he recognised that there was. need of both sanitary conditions, especially iimoug Maoris. It appeared to him that the deputation was of the opinion that trie State should undertake a campaign against tuberculosis. Personally he was not prepared to say that, tlie Slate had machinery under which Wiey could undertake the work, and perhaps the boards could do it better than, the Stalte. If it were conceded that, the State should undertake the campaign ■gainst, tuberculosis, ami provide the whole of the cost, the State would also probably have to carry on tlie work of fighting other diseases—cancer, for ills', a nee.

He did not like too much State interference in these matters, and he thnugjn the boards could be more elfieieiit than the Staie in this respect. In Christchurch, h>> went on, there was n dispensary doing excellent work.

A IIIXT TO AUCKLAND. The Minister said lie bad been in communication with Auckland, and they had undenaken to add to their accommodation for coTiisuinjiiivi's at the (.'ostley llwnc. He was prepared to tell Auckland that if they were not willing to do as other centres did they must pay the full cost of their patients j at the Waikato sanatorium, and to tell them also that, if it were necessary to increase the accommodation j at that inMiiaiion for Auckland patients, AueklaiKi would have to pay 'Uie capital cost. Proceeding, he sauj that one . conference had oren held, hut tilit he •proposed to eitll anolilier. illo would wait till after the arrival of the Wellington's expert, who might 'lake .pa."t. He thought it wise to call the supcrintendant's of the various districts together. FARM COLONIES. On the subject of the proposed establishment of farm colonics, lie said that lie would like to see them somewhere near the sanatoria, so that the supcriiidi'nts could supervise them. He agreed that it was important that something ' »lioiild be done for the children, and mentioned liiat Christchureh had established two homes.