PROHIBITION ON TRAVELLING

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21974, 24 December 1936, Page 12

PROHIBITION ON TRAVELLING

j\ T 0 CHILDREN TO v LEAVE DUNEDIN INFANTILE PARALYSIS-. EPIDEMIC POLICE STOP PARTY FROM (iOING SOI'TH ;i'i;ess association telegram.) DUNEDIN, December 23. A decision was reached to-day by ihe Health. Department to prohibit all ■travelling from Dunedin of children under the age of 1G years, and instructions have been issued that no railway, bus, or aeroplane tickets are to'be issued for children. It has also been decided to station road patrols on. main highways leading from the city to prevent children leaving by car lor other parts of the country. Dr T. McKibbin, Medical Officer of Health, said this evening that this decision, had not been arrived at not because the epidemic in Dunedin was worse, because that was not the case. Indeed, there were indications that conditions were improving. The restriction was being imposed in fairness to. residents of other.towns and districts, who had good reason to fear •the results of visits by children from Dunedin. . „.,, . ■■, •'I am sure," Dr. McKibbm said, "that both the Minister for Health and the Director-General of Health appreciate as we .do here the help civerr to the department by the Dunedin public generally in compliance with our requests of the last fortnight. It is felt, however, that something should be done to check what otherwise might be a large exodus of people from the city during the next few The decision had been reached, Dr. McfKibbin continued, ' with the apprbval of the Minister and the Direc-tor-General. He wished to make it clear that the orohibition would be rigorously enforced. Any parents who wished to travel with their children would require to obtain permission from the department, and such permission would be given only when reasons for travelling were strong. No one should make application lor a permit without an excellent reason. To-day, two children were admitted to the Dunedin Hospital one with very slight paralysis, and the other for observation. The former is a boy one year old, from Mprnington, and the other is a boy of four and a halt years, from St. Kilda. Apart from these, there have been no notifications "in Otago or Southland. . The public is urged to assist the health authorities and the Railways Department by refraining from asking for children's tickets without having obtained the necessary permits. The district traffic manager of railways (Mr H L. Gibson) said to-day that trouble had already been experienced, as a man, his wife, and two children had insisted on travelling by the south express to-night to Invercargill. The man had become very abusive to the railways staff when hj; was asked not to leave and the authorities had been forced to call in the police to prevent the party from travelling.

NOTIFICATION IN CHRISTCHURCH RAILWAY DEPARTMENT'S INSTRUCTIONS Notification of the restrictions on travel by children under the age of 16 years was received by the Railway Department at Christchurch yesterday. The restriction requires every child under that age who wishes to travel to undergo an ex-1 amination before the issuing of an official permit. The advice received reads as follows: — "Acting on instructions from the Minister for Health, from noon today no children under 16 will be allowed to travel from an area banded by Port Chalmers and Mosgiel area without a permit from the Health Department. "In the case of families who are booked by steamers overseas, production of the steamer ticket will be sufficient, provided the members of the railway staff dealing with the case are satisfied that it is bona fide, but this will not apply to the steamer express. "Stationmasters outside the affected area are to warn parents that children under 16 should not be brought into the affected. area, as permits will require to be obtained from the Health Department before the children can return from the affected areas. "Health inspectors will commence patrolling the roads from noon todav, with the object of preventing children under 16 leaving the affected area by road. The restriction will also apply to air travel."