CHILD PARALYSIS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 25, 30 January 1937, Page 18

CHILD PARALYSIS.

EPIDEMIC IN N.Z. MAGNIFIED OVERSEAS. EFFECT ON TOURIST TRAFFIC. (Fr«»m Our Own Cnrn'simndHit.) DUXEI)IN'. Friday. The fact that the infantile paralysis epidemic was being magnified out of all proportion overseas, particularly in the I'uited States, was mentioned to-day by Mr. (ieorge M. Dillon, general manager for New Zealand of Warner Brothers, who i* at present in Duncdin with Mr. \j. H. Roos. making colour travelogues of the Dominion. Mr. Dillon said that Dtmedili people did not seem to realise the effect the epidemic scare would have on tourist traffic. Actually, he had received n number of cablegrams inquiring how his family and he were surviving the "national calamity." It was anticipated, Mr. Dillon said, that the I'acilic Coast strike would be over by April and Americans were already preparing summer tours. Xew Zealand was an ideal place for a holiday, as it contained all the natural beauties wrapped up in a small package. RearAdmiral Bvrd had done wonderful publicity work for Xew Zealand, as had many travellers, but all that publicity was lost through the epidemic scare. '"In Xew Zealand.'' Mr. Dillon continued. "people think that Chicago residents go round with a gun in their hip pockets. Well, in the same way. American people think that New Zealand residents are dying off by hundreds. Even in your own country people believe that Dunedin has 1100 cases, while one Christchurch man informed me that there was 'black plague' in this city. It will take months to overcome this epidemic scare, and your tourist trade will be badly hit."