IN QUARANTINE IN SYDNEY

Evening Star, Issue 16907, 3 December 1918, Page 8

IN QUARANTINE IN SYDNEY

EXPERIENCE OF MANUKA’S PASSENGERS. COMPLAINTS "OF BUNGLING. ‘From our Shristchxtro** Correspondent.] The Manuka was recently quarantined at Sydney on her arrival from Wellington. ' owing to an outbreak of influenza during the voyage across. Her passengers seem to have had anything but an enviable time, judging by the following letter received by a local resident from one of them : The Manuka left Wellington on Saturday, November 9, at 4 a. m., with about 300 souls on board. On the way over cases of very mild influenza bepan to show up, and no stops were taken by the authorities on the vessel to isolate them. Consequently wo arrived at Sydney at 8 a.in. on Wednesday, November 13, with 23 mild, cases. At noon a doctor oaoae on board, and we all had to walk past him, he making no other examination at all. and the ship was ordered into quarantine, the quarantine period being five days from the last case reported. No steps were taken to remove the 23 cases from the ship for four days, and some were showing up every day. Tho passengers who were well were 'therefore all tho time subjected to a continual infection, as the influenza patients would keep coining on deck and mingling with the well passengers. On the 17th a meeting of protest was held by the saloon passengers, and a demand* made to see tho doctor from the shore. He came off, and a deputation waited upon him, but ho said he was acting on instructions from Melbourne, the Federal headquarter*. It was pointed out to him

that the well passengers were being subjected to a continual infection, and ho had taken no stops to isolate the sick people. Following this he removed, tour of the worst cases to the shore, there now being 30 on the ship. As a result of tho continued inaction of tho health people here a vigorous telegram was despatched to the Chief Health Officer at Melbourne, who sent a doctor from the shore to make an. inquiry. This was on .Sunday last. As nothing was done on Monday, ft further protest was made, and at 4 o’clock a doctor came off and examined tho passengers, sending several now cases at once to bed, and "two nurses were sent from tho shore, to keep the side people isolated. Vv’o now hear that all the passengers are to be taken ashore to-day. This inaction of the health people here has led to many cases, and tho holding up of the freedom of a very largo number of well people, who, if they had been isolated on tire day of arrival, would have been released from quarantine in five days. They have now already been held six days, and as there was a fresh case to-day another five days must go on to this, making 11 days’ detention if no more cases occur. In the interests of travelling Now Zealanders a little publicity of this awful official bungle should be made. A correspondent of tho London ‘ Sphere,’ writing from. Wales, says, gently satirising tho large number of Welsh knights ; “ I am told that every journalist in Wales has been knighted. For a, political journalist to got a knighthood .' . . is as easy as shelling peas. They are al) political journalists in AVales. And so it is said Dr Clifford recently preached an eloquent sermon, taking as his text, ‘ And they could not reach Him because of the Press.’ ”