PLAGUE AT AUCKLAND.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1094, 5 April 1911, Page 5

PLAGUE AT AUCKLAND.

I CAMPAIGN AGAINST RATS. "A LOCAL' FOCUS OF INFECTION," ACTION BY HARBOUR BOARD, (Sy Tolccraph-PvcES Association,! Auckland, April i. A special meeting of the Harbour Board was held to-dny for tho purpose of considering tho question of carrying on a rat crusade. The following letter was received from Dr. Makgill, District Health Officer :— "In reference to the campaign against "rats, 1 receive complaints from shipping companies as to the excellent ' harbourage for rats afforded bv the : stonework facing along the harbour I irent, more especially about Hobson Mrcot and tho Auckland Dock. There is no doubt that the rats can lodge in Ino crevices among tho stones, and • though ;t would be expensive work, yet 1 think the board would bo juslilied in uiHlevliikms to remetlv this matter by such means as tho engineer [ may suggest for dest roving tho rat warrens. Me have had repealed out- ■ (ironies of plague in the autumn durtho last ten years, and although conditions ashore ore such as to niako * any extensive epidemic improbable, .yet these repealed outbreaks arc very imaging to the reputation of tho port, and any outlav calculated to - minimise (hem would bo money well', In each rase we have had no reason (o believe Uio infection aro*o - tunong; rats along the harbour front, fliid hitherto have thought that (hero : was a reintraduction of infection from,' Australia. I his year, however, Svdnev appears to bo fre> from plague, a fac't Kiiggcsaug that the cases which havo just occurred in Auckland have origin- " aled in a local focus of infection?' Mr. .7. H. Guiison moved (hat a special I sanitary corps of eight men bo engaged .tor the purpose of poisoning, catching, and destroying rats, and carrying out general sa-jitary work around the wharves, snipping, and waterfront, four upon tho western side of Queen Street Wharf and tour upon Queen Street Wharf and eastward, and that the matter be further left "i the hands of (he chairman. it w t seconded the proposal. t„ «!; iVY . ;? pi< V aW I,e wns astonished to find tha-t the City Council was onlv employing two men for a portion of tho .Year in the destruction of rats. An active, crusade should be carried out. Perhaps the best way was to lay poison freely. l ±here, of course, was no ground for o, ■•care. Iho sanitary arrangements in Auckland were too good to permit of a plague epidonic, but they should be on tho safe sko against disease, and initiato an' a ™ campaign against the rats. 1 , V ! r . tue s "RSosted that (ho sanitary, corp'i. which it is proposed to appoint, should report daily the number of rats' kl/lcd. It was purely a farco for tho ■if L ™ mc " to employ two men only. Mr. Gnnsoii said ho thought there was no need at all for alarm. It was simply a caso of prevention being bettor than ' cure. Mr. Hutchison said ho considered tho, uty Council should be approached and asked to co-operate more extensively. Tho Mayor might convene a meeting of local \ Mr. Virtue proposed that tho harbour- ' master should see to it that all overseas vessels used tin discs on hawsers lead- ' mg to the wharves, and tho taking up,' of gangways and gangway nets at nights.' It was decided that Messrs, Hutchison' and Aapier should wait on the Mavor,' and that tho harbourmaster should bo i given a freo hand in regard to vessels in port. | Dr. Monk, Assistant Public Health' Officer, wno was present, said the Do- 1 partment had also started an activo in-, spection along (he waterfront. It was intended to lay poison everywhere, and all the warehouses and other places in a given area were to be visited. Tho i last plague case, though taken from , Khyber Pass, was rcallv traced to a , warehouse on the waterfront. It had'' been ascertained that the patient in ques- » tion had handled two dead rats on tho luesday. On the Saturday ho was taken, ill, tho exact timo necessary for tho ' development of the disease. Wholesale poisoning, and the clearing up and vc-' moval of all rubbish, was the programme advocated by the Health Department. As far as Australian ships are concerned, there had been no plague in Sydney for twelve months, which indicated that there ' was no pin gun being introduced from without, but that it exists within. There ; was no need, for alarm, but he urged a ' most vigorous crusade against rats, .'• :