NIAGARA BERTHS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 208, 2 September 1919, Page 7

NIAGARA BERTHS.

STEWARD IN QUARANTINE. NO WORK TILL THURSDAY. A further medical inspection of the steamer Niagara, which arrived from Sydney yesterday, and anchored in the stream to undergo tho usual period of quarantine, was held this morning, and the port health officer, after consultation with tlie Health Department, and acting upon their instructions, ordered into quarantine one of the stewards, who was isolated yesterday with a high temperature. The steward's condition this morning was still abnormal, and he was ordered into quarantine at Motuihi, though he was quite able to walk oil the vessel without assistance.

After the usual inspection of passports j by the Customs officials passengers landed shortly after noon. There were 170 passengers who disembarked at Auckland, in addition to a large number lof through passengers to Vancouver. WATERSIDERS* ACTION. The Niagara has over 2000 tons ot cargo to discharge at Auckland, and a similar amount to load prior to her departure, which had been fixed for noon on Thursday. The waterside workers, in conformity with their resolution not to work any vessels for seven days after i leaving an infected port, have intimated that they will not commence work until 4 o'clock on Thursday, this being seven days from the date of the Niagara's departure from Sydney. The Union Company stated this afternoon that the vessel's departure would accordingly be postponed, and it will in all probability he next week before she gets away. At a special meeting of the Auckland Waterside Workers' Union the following resolution was carried: "That the secretary be instructed to wire the Minister of Public Health protesting against the berthing of the Niagara or any other vessel arriving at this port with any suspected cases of influenza, or other infectious diseases aboard; further, that this union has no confidence in the port health officer, owing to his action in the case of the Mamari, when eleven persons were removed to quarantine and the vessel allowed to berth and the passengers landed to distribute themselves among the citizens".

The above resolution was referred to Dr. Sharman, port health officer, who stated that his action in regard to the berthing of the Mamari was strictly in accordance with his instructions from the Health Department. Furthermore, in his opinion the man whom he had ordered into quarantine was not suffering from influenza, and was convalescent. Purely as a precautionary measure he had deemed it advisable that the affected man and contacts should be placed in quarantine until any possibility of contagion was removed.