"YAH! MEASLEY."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 165, 15 July 1938, Page 3

"YAH! MEASLEY."

NEW CATCHWORD.

ACHILLES MEN TAUNTED.

BACK FROM ISLAND CRUISE. "Measley" is the playful catchword to-day .at the Devonport naval base because it-was measles that caused the return of tlie cruiser Achilles from her Island -cruise to-day and. not on August 1. No other ship at the base is the proud possessor of even one cast , . Consequently, when the pinnaces from the other ships pass, those from the Achilles nil ings yell "Vah! Jlea.sley." The men frum the Achilles laugh and pass on. The position on hoard the Achilles i* not got ioutf. There are at present si bout eight ciK-e.-: of (.icrinau n;ca-k-s ar.d one 1 the more serious kind, and evei! that case v.as never had. Tlie ship did not l-.i.vi' to be quarantined, bui burlhed at til;; bane. Having left Auckland on June 17, the vessel • ha-* been absent almost a month. The curtailment of the cruise iiieuut that three small islands and Suva were missed. Nukualofa and Yavau in the Toniiaii CSri>u]i were v>ited. and then the Achilles went on to Pago Pago. No one went ashore there, and tlie next port of call was Funafuti in the Ellis Group. They were there two days. Passenger Picked Up. After that they went to the small island of Niutao. in the same gr up, beean-r" they had as "a passenger Mr. (J. Gal'iU-V.'v. Administrator of the Ellis Clrnup, who w'rhod to isvipeet Niutao. At Niutao they dropped Mr. C'alhu-hor. and after a fAi'y of one hour began the long ho.mpwa'-fi journey. At thnt stag- the Achilles hnd nno oisp [of measles, and as the result o' nn agreement between Captain T. (<. filcnnie a"d ; Hir Arthur fJnvernor of Fiji I i>nd High Commissioner for the Western I Pacific, • the rest of the trip was abandoned. Nothing out of the ordinary took place on the voviiTC according to the officers. 'the only two incident* of note beimr the I presentation of native dances at Nnkua- | lofa and Funafuti. For tho.-K> of the ji.hiti's company who were making the I cruise for the first time, however, it was full of interest. They spoke of the romance of coconut palms silhouetted [agniiitst dark skies and calm sea*; they told of the remoteness of noine of th« , tiny coral ssles. far from the beaten , track, and of the long monotony of the ,i-igh of tho breakers against countless reefs. Measles in the Islands. ' They also spoke—and this time in brisker terms—of the cold. "When one has been used to wearing the lightest of clothing, including shorts, these mornings definitely leave something to be desired." one of them r*aid, ami he i wt's not much comforted when he was told that he vva<s lucky to have returned when the <*un was shining. No estimate could be given of the position in the Islands as far as measles I were concerned. Officers did. however. 'nay that the complaint was viewed 1 seriously in the Pacific. The natives i seemed to have no residence, and if they ! contracted the disease the result might Ibe serious. If a temperature occurred, i the sufferer would immediately go into the water to seek relief, and pneumonia •niiaht easily follow, causing death. The Achilles will be at the base at least until August 1. EPIDEMIC WIDESPREAD. INFLUENZA ALSO PREVALENT. Measlca are prevalent throughout the Auckland Province, and many cases have been reported in Auckland city and suburbs. School attendances have been greatly affected, and, as adults are not immune, the staffs of many factories and business houses have been depleted. Both ordinary measles and the German type have been recorded, and every care and attention is necessary to prevent complications following From the time that the spots appear, the period of isolation and nursing should be a fortnight. Measles have been reported in Auckland from the beginning of the year, but they have become more prevalent since the colder weather, and in some of the city areas there has been quite an epidemic. In addition to measles, there have been many cases of influenza of a mild type, but care and attention is also necessary to prevent further complications. ,