MEDICAL INSPECTION OF VESSELS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 225, 20 September 1906, Page 2

MEDICAL INSPECTION OF VESSELS.

STATEMENT BY DE. SHAEMA2T.

-Or. E. W. Sharman, when interviewed concerning some statements made in Parliament on the subject of medical inspection of vessels, stated, and this was confirmed by subsequent inquiry, that the shipping _ companies, who naturally are very intimately concerned with the inspection of vessels, are satisfied that i there is no unnecessary delay under tha present-conditions. Even if medical inspection were not carried out/ the Customs examination would have to continue, and in some cases- thi3 occupies more time than the medical inspection. The salary 0 f the Port Health Officer is but £200 a year, and for this an average of 28 vessels a month are Inspected, each visit taking up nearly a couple of hours of the inspecting officer's time. Under the present conditions the Health Officer is notified when an over-sea boat is signalled, and by the time she drop 3 her anchor the doctor is ready to embark on his launch to board her in the stream. On occasion time might be saved if a launch were obtained for the sole use of the Health Officer, but time is seldom lost in this way. If the Health Officers of tha ports of New Zealand were employed solely as such, and paid accordingly, they would be-able to be in the stream waiting to board incoming vessels as soon as they ancliored, but this is recognised as impossible under the preent conditions. To facilitate the berthing of vessels, the Health Officer frequently visits vessels at night, although not required so to do under the regulations, and over-night arrivals are always inspected at 7 o'clock on the following morning. It is urged by some that the. examination is a mere matter of form and is unnecessary, but although the abolition of the inspection of intercolonial vessels would relieve Dr. Sharman of a great deal of his work, he does not think it would be wise to follow this course. Ten or a dozen passengers are ordered to stand aside for further examination in every arriving vessel, and while plague still continues in Australia the Auckland Health Officer considers that the inspection should continue.