SEAMEN'S OPINION.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 67, 19 March 1919, Page 5

SEAMEN'S OPINION.

ON INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC. X i i DISREGARDED SUGGESTIONS. i< 1 (By Teleprapb.—Press Association.) j 1 WELLINGTON, this day. j| Examined before the Epidemic Com- , mission to-day, Mr. W. T. Young, secre- , tary of the Seamen's Union, stated that , the first intimation his organisation re- -, ceived as to the epidemic was early in ■ September. The executive of the union ■, communicated with the Minister for i Health, making some recommendations, ; whioh included isolation, fumigation and , inoculation. A committee was appointed to carry out their recommendations. The Minister wrote on October 25 that he could not agree to carry out the suggestions made by the union. Another letter was sent to the Minister on November 20, again urging the holding m> of ships, atod expressed the opinion that such a course, including the Niagara, would have resulted in the disease not having g-ot such a very big hold in the country, and many valuable lives being saved. Reference wa3 made '■ in the second letter to the activities of ' the New South Wales authorities in the ' matter of experimenting , with inocula- ' tion a3 a preventives measure in _ in- ' fluenza. The council of the union criti- ' cised the Minister and the Department ' for what it considered ; the dilatory ' manner in which the epidemic had been ' coped with. Instances were also given ' in one letter where it was alleged sea- ' men had died on shipboard at Welling- ' ton through lack of attention. The ' council also expressed the opinion that ' there was no doubt the arrival of the ' Niagara contributed greatly to the ! spread of the disease throughout New ' Zealand. '