TIRED OF WARNING.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 303, 21 December 1921, Page 5

TIRED OF WARNING.

MB. PARR AND THE FLAGTJE. XO -LUGGAGE FUMIGATTQX. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON. Tuesday. The statement that he had decided not to act on the suggestion to fumigate tho luggage of incoming passeucers. and that prosecutions would follow failure to observe precautionary warnings against plague, was made by the Minister of Public Health to-day. ~N r. Parr explained that the fumigation proposal at first met with his approval a* thoroughly reasonable, but the expert opinion of his officers discounted thp danger of affected fleas coming iv by way of luggage. The great danger was the rat, because fleas seldom come apart from the rodent. Tile Minister continued that he had ascertained from tin" Director-General of Health in Australia, that luggage going into free ports was not fumigated, while he had been sat't - lied by the Government representative in Australia that every precaution was being taken to prevent the disease being taken out of Australia. While he knew that a rat might get ashore and start the plague here, 31r. Parr empUasised that worst risk lay in lack of proper hygenic conditions in New Zealand towns. Reports which ha I reached him showed th;tt many of thp eating houses and hotels in the townwere profuse breeding grounds of r.-it-;. and he earnestly warned local bodies and citizens to continue stringent cleaning up: in fact he was of opinion that sufficient warnings had been given, nnd those who would not wake up to their obligations should be prosecuted. As a matter of fact three prosecutions were on the list to take place this week at Auckland.