HOW THE MAORIS FARED.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 603, 3 September 1909, Page 6

HOW THE MAORIS FARED.

.HELD UP FOR : TRACHOMA. NEWS THAT ; THEY HAVE REACHED. ."-." NEW YORK.' '.", Word has been received by the ■ ActingPrime Minister (the Hon; Jas. Carroll) that all the members of the Native troupe who went to perform .hakas and poi dances at the New .York Hippodrome L'nve safely arrived at their destination. It will ho remembered that upon the arrival of .the party at San Francisco,- eighteen of the members, were prohibited from , landing on the ground that .they, were,'it was. thought, suffering from an infectious disease of •• the eyes 'called trachoma. When tho .last'mail doft San - Francisco strenuous efforts were being made to porsuado'tho authorities' -i.o allow all the members of v tho party to resume their journey, but, despite the rcports.-of outside experts, that the Natives-were free from all disease, the immigration Officials wore obdurate.. -It, should, bo,mentioned that_the'party were thoroughly -examinedby. several medical men, including Dr. Wohlmann, prior to leaving the Dominion.

THE - AMERICAN, AUTHORITIES MAKE \ - / TROUBLE. • By tho ' Manapouri, whioh arrived ' from Tahiti with an American mail yesterday, Mr. W., A; Kennedy; manager of the Union Steam' Ship' Cotopany; received-a communication from the Oceanic Steam Ship Company's agent at Tahiti bearing on tho holding up of the -Maoris' engaged to''appear/' at _the New. York Hippodrome. As to thb' examinar tion'.at Tahiti, the- shipping agent 'writes: "Two.-third-class, wert fouhd' to ;bo afflicted with trachoma; and' I , have , fused' them ,tickets, Another .part'!? / was 'held- lip .by emigration - authoritiesin 'San; Frinoisco, 'and; Was ordered to h'o deported." ' . . .. '" - ■.!].' r. • Of the Maori. trouble .the ; agent. '' writes: ; "This'.trachoma business is -really very. annoying. ' "Of' Mr., M'Bride's; ;party. /. of '40 Maoris, which went.'up by. the last.trip .of jthe.'Mariposa;.eighteen 'were' ordered to-be dopoi-ted, as : having.;eithfir, trachomaj. or. a' ! suspicion . of trachoma. _ Some:; of .-- the''best ' civilian > specialists examined .these - cases, ;.ai3 ; they; stated > tliat.- there wasY only/one . case ; 0f.,, trichoma in.t7ie.eighteen,and 'the others .were'not oven? suspicious. The matter had to bo referred to Washington,', and the cases , were still. under, observation when .the Mari; ;po3a',left; San/Francisco. I: woTild: suggest•that, passengers. having . been examined, at your side, should .bring a medical certificate. ;t6.:.that .effect."; ■ : .Writing of -the arrival, of the Maori party' :iri the Mariposa,' the. "San Francisco' Call, l said: "Forty.'Mabris from..New'Zealand.were passengors on the Oceanic_ Steam Ship Company's/ liner Mariposa, • which arrived;yester-l day from Tahiti. - 11l their natiyo costumes these. visitors- from the' Antipodes are ■ pro-'i bably' picturesque, : but' the store" clothes ,in I which tho'y - appeared • yesterday' successfully hid'any'charm , that may be theirs at home. :They ; .havo'been 'engaged'.for exhibition l 'purposes' ;by the .New. 'York Hippodrome, 'and .will remain' in'■•' this '' countiy / for nine months. Some'of the- women are fantastically tattooed 'about the ' lips. and'..chin,marks by •which . all the world ; may know,..-them ..as married women.' This;custom• of branding jbrides is said-to be,.passing away, .and among the' Mariposa's-Maoris' iWere several, married women, who had failed to follow tho fashion. The ..only ,-.Maorirloolring:;part' of their, ;50s- . tumes, were • capes oovered : with; this ,feathers r lof bright-plumaged .' birds;/.which ■ a' -few 1 of jthem'v wore.'- /-0n.9 of the..:men- wore; a hat ishaped in the form of. a,rooster; pne of the men,' who.i speaks.'good : 'English, said, -th'at. every -woman; among, them was a princess, and every, man- of-■ royal' Maori blood." H/: ; The "San Francisco Call" of Augugt' 4' : .prints the following telegram from Wash"Eighteen members' of' a" .party . of I jMaoris from New; Zealand, .wh6 ; havo' been ] !held up.at;quarantine .at. San 'Francisco ;by the , immigration authorities, .because : thby wei;e found to be afflicted with trachoma,. Were'to-day' refused admission -into' thiayeoun-,-try by order of Assistant-Secretary M'Harg. ]of ;,the. .-Department .'of .'. Commerce - and 'Labour.;; 'The Maorisbelong -to •a ! tribe' of .savages in New Zealand, and were' to ihave been used for exhibition purposes by tho Hippodrome Company of New , York. This concern made... tho Department an offer to bring the- men- through to New/ York : for 'on bond,;- but ; the proposal was 'rejected.". ./ ;' •' "'' '. '.' OTHER TRACHOMA CASES. ACTION AT THIS END. ' " Two steerage "passengers who" attempted; to enter, -the ;'United,-:- States; ■ through;\ tjhe •Golden; Gate were.; returned to Wellington. :by "the. Manapouri yesterday, having.;' been irefused permission ;to' land, at Saa Francisco : 1 owing -to'- the Health .'Officer's < action - t in: re-; •porting them aS suffering from trachoma 'Some- :inquiries',\-.w.ere maae. by a Dominion' representativo/yes^rclay,' a 6 .to tlie''extenli to which : this "exa'minatidn 'is '■ carried, ' and • it ,wafe'.ascerfainei:'/that . only' "steerage .sengers , w,ere„ rigidly for / eye •troubles,: the .argument ibeing that as; a .nile ■ saloon, passengers were possessed.of' sufficient , means' to" prevent "them • -becoming a burden ; on -the cbuhtry.' ■ Saloon, passengers on reaching San, Francisco ~-were. only asked, -to* walk past , the Health; Officer," as are passengers arriving here from-Sydney....ln.tie caselof !steerage passengers,' however,-tie.;.case is ■ very/different';"each, being ,subjected .. -a most rigid'-'inspection 'bfefore' being • "cleared inwards?' • • • . .i>;'.;./ ! - '; ''The''.two : rejects who , returned,; by. ;'the ;Managouri yesterday-.were examined.ty the Port, Health; Officer before they ;left ,v Wei-' lington, 'when 'they we're pronouncdd.'free'of •trachomar lOn'.their arrival Daok yesterday they' • were' examined.- by., Dr. Eemp(acting on, behalf of the l Port Health Officer), aaa . -he, too,could;;not •trachoma' in either case. ;._lt -is'the intension to have . these '.people examined ;.by :two - expert .oculists to-day, with a,-view i'of arriving-at some' understanding'.''with' the "JAnierican. medical. authorities.; as to ( what. they olassrfy precisely as trachoma. Knowing the rigidity, of. the law in .San 'FTOncisco,/...the , .v, l Maoris • selected..-to.go to New .York.were also.,examined for. traohomp, but were pronounced to bo free, of .'the disease. ... • : . WHAT IS TRACHOMA? v '/ One gentleman, '.with ..a , knowledge, of, American .ways stated to our representative yesterday that if, a steerage. passenger arrived with a cold in or with .obvious .evidence of,a late sitting the' night'bofore;-; :he'.would bo set; down as -'a. sufferer .' from ,traehoma.,,Pne man ivhose eyes, were a. 'ittle ■blo&dshcrt 'and'-infla-med; was-warned of this,•ahd' eagerly desired .to : know'how. ho could got, through. ~ It was. suggested . to. him that , the easiest way was.' to pay tho' difference I between the steerage' and' saloon fares:'.' He did'sb; and is rioiv a freej enlightened citizen of tho United .States. . '. .'' Trachoma ;is .described in. the; ".Century, Dictionary" as. "a granular condition of the conjunction of the eyelids, frequently accom.panied' ydth'.' .'aiid haziness of the vifiiorii ;A,serious disease." • .: ■• •: