INCOMING VESSELS

Evening Post, Issue 20, 24 January 1935, Page 13

INCOMING VESSELS

BOARDING PERMITS

CONDITIONAL. AUTHORITY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

KUSBELL, This Day.

The recent arrangement for the acceptance by the port health authorities of a declaration, by ships' doctors, on vessels arriving from '.overseas, and intercolonial ports as to the health' of passengers and' crew, while having its advantages in reducing to a minimum the possibilities of delay, in the berthing of the vessels' arriving at. New Zealand ports, has caused considerable inconvenience in that it prevented the boarding of incoming ships by; representatives of Police,. Tourist, and Immigration Departments, and the Press, who are not permitted to board the. ships until they are'berthed.' ' Bepresentations have been' made to tho Minister of Health, Sir Alexander Young, that permission should be given to thoso desiring to board 'vessels for official purposes to do so in the stream, as is "done* by' Customs officers. ' The Minister approved the request that'the representatives in: 'question bo -permittetl to board ships while proceeding to their berths, on. condition that' the vessels to bo berthed shall have been, declared to be ciean, and further that the official representatives concerned shall hot bo permitted to leave any such vessel until the port health officer has boarded her at the berth and granted pratique. .','..' " This means .that should it bo found that there is infectious disoaso on a ship, those officers would bo liable to quarantine along with tho passengers and crow. On theso conditions, the Minister has instructed the DirectorGeneral of Health to notify the port health officer to net accordingly.