P.M.’s ailing staff

Press, 11 September 1980, Page 4

P.M.’s ailing staff

The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) has described his overseas tour as "something of a retreat from Moscow.” The reason is that, one by one, his accompanying official staff are falling victim to the stomach infliction known as “Delhi belly.” Mr Muldoon’s principal private secretary, Mr H. B. Hewett, was forced to stay in New Delhi on Tuesday because of the affliction. He declined hospital treatment for what was termed a severe case of gastroenteritis, and is expected to rejoin Mr Muldoon in Hong Kong later today. The head of the Prime Minister’s Department, Mr B. V. Galvin, was bedridden yesterday with the complaint, as was a member of the department, Mr S. M. Och. Mr Muldoon’s press secretary, Mr G. W. Symmans, also suffered but was not as badly stricken as his colleagues. “It’s a retreat from Mos-

cow,”' said Mr Muldoon yesterday after reporting, “We are two less than we were yesterday.” “I’m all right,” he said. “The art of this game is to protect yourself against what you might call travellers’ diarrhoea. It can be quite a full-time job.” Mr Muldoon and his party will fly from Hong Kong to Canton today,, to begin a week-long State visit to China. They are due in Peking this evening. Mr Muldoon said that he had no additional comment to make on the controversy over his remarks about the result; of the East Coast Bays by-election. He said that he wanted to study the transcripts of two of his press conferences first. However, he agreed that a Press Association story reporting his first comments was such that nobody could take any wrong inferences from it. Referring to the fourmember press party touring with him, Mr Muldoon said:

“Somebody either here or in ■ New Zealand has made it appear as though I was blaming the party organisation for the defeat. “Now that is all I take from what is coming from New Zealand. It is not correct, and you know it is not correct.”