HEALTH AND WELFARE IN PLANTATIONS. 407
Anti-Malarial Measures.

Many planters and garden medical officers already realise the
importance of the malaria problem. The average garden medical officer,
however, has little time to devote to the investigation of diseases or to
practical preventive work, and the Indian Tea Association in North India
and the United Planters’ Association of Southern India both agreed to
our suggestion that it would be of advantage to employ expert malario-
ogists, We were informed, indeed, that steps had already been taken to
obtain one such expert for a group of gardens in the Wynaad. More
than once, however, in the evidence given to us in Assam, considerable
doubt was expressed in regard to the results to be obtained from money
spent on anti-malarial schemes, because the adoption of certain recom-
mendations had failed of their promise. In reply to this objection, we
would emphasise the great importance of detailed investigation before
embarking on extensive anti-malarial measures. Unless a scientific basis
has been laid by thorough examination of local conditions, large sums
can easily be wasted without result or even with the result of increasing
the incidence of the disease. The Indian Tea Association has made
generous grants to the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine to assist
its researches on malaria and hookworm and has also helped to finance
a successful campaign against kala-azar. This attitude towards pre-
ventive medicine encourages us to suggest that a more active policy
should be adopted by all plantation managements in regard to anti-
malarial work carried out under skilled advice and supervision, We are
convinced that this would go far to eliminate one of the industry’s
greatest handicaps, and we hope that both local Governments and
employers’ associations will make it their close concern.:

Water Supplies.

The provision of an adequate supply of good drinking water is
a primary necessity and, generally speaking, reasonably satisfactory
arrangements are in existence. At the same time instances are not
wanting where the supply is of a suspicious character, particularly
where water is obtained from surface tanks or ponds—even when these
are properly fenced—and from surface wells, which are at all times
liable to become polluted. Tube wells may not always be practicable,
but the water from such wells is ordinarily free from surface pollution.
As we also have evidence that in certain plantations these have given
satisfactory results, we recommend their adoption wherever conditions
are suitable. The prevalence of bowel diseases is an indication of the
argent need for the provision of pure drinking water, and expenditure on
purification plants may be essential. This is realised by many employers,
and on one estate we visited, the management had spent no less than
Rs. 90,000 on a purification plant. Where supplies are drawn from hill
streams, protection could probably be best afforded by conducting the
Water through pipes to the house lines. In such cases a piped water
supply need mot involve a heavy expenditure, and we recommend its
provision wherever possible, because this ensures the minimum of poliu-
tion and incidentally saves the women a great deal of hard work.