SMALLPOX

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 59, 6 September 1913, Page 6

SMALLPOX

LATEST REPORTS Latest news as to th© prevalence of smallpox" in Auckland district is that there are no new cases from Auckland city and suburbs; but a case has been notified at Mercer, 40 miles from Auckland city, from a previously infected house, and five cases are reported at Ahipara, 13 miles from Kaitaia. . "WASTE AND EXTRAVAGANCE", CRITICISM -OF THE ;HEALTH DEPARTMENT. * (MX TELEGRAPH— piUSS ASSOCIATION.) .' HAMILTON, This Day. The Waikato Times publishes ah interview with the Mayor of Hamilton as a reply to the Health Department regarding the position of Maori pas .in ' Waikato. Mr. Manning states that all he said was true in every, detail. What-the Natives really regarded as "a joke was that the official visit should 'bd made a fortnight after their wants had been attended to and after they had been allowed to suffer for some months. The Department, he says, had shown an entire lack of business aptitude, and effectively proved itself incapable, of office. The shifting of responsibility on to the Hospital Board was only an excuse for oifl easy Way of shirking duty. Had a subinspector been placed in each' infected camp the Natives could have been restricted to the pas, and there would have been none of the present waste and extravagance and uneasiness, while the absurd proclamations issued by the thousand throughout the country would have been unnecessary^ No doubt it was very gratifying to the Minister and departmental officers to regard the whole thing as a joke, but the local bodies on whom all the trodble had been shouldered failed to se» any humour in the situation. Had it- not been for, the assistance rendered by the local bodies it would have been a case of God help the country and Heaven spare the J Government. It was a disgrace and menace to - the country that the Department should ; have tinkered with the matter as it had instead of adopting a strong and definite policy Officers of the Department had rightly buried the clothes considered infected, but had neglectedj^to supply the Natives .with anything in 8 , substitution, with the result that as late as last week there was an appeal for clothing which had to *be supphed by charity. In conclusion the Mayor' would like the Department) to state who v^as in charge of the Morrinsville ''lsolation , Camp and why it was broken up?