EPIDEMIC COMMISSION

Evening Star, Issue 16991, 13 March 1919, Page 2

EPIDEMIC COMMISSION

In tho course of his evidence before the Epidemic Commission at Wellington yesterday Captain Munro, traffic manager for, the Wellington Harbor Board, said the [ want of ambulances in Wellington was a very serious matter, and he suggested ambulance and street alarms like fire alarms. Ho elaborated this idea, and when asked by Sir John Denniston how the organisation was to be kept up he monthly meetings. Sir John Denniston said he thought there would have to be some more incentive than the memory of the epidemic. Witness suggested something like the old volunteer system—a certain amount of plant and drugs under their care. Public spirit, he considered, would keej) such an organisation alive, as in the case of a volunteer fire brigade. In the course of some further discussion, witness said the whole thing was a somewhat large order. When in a new suburb it was found that louses wore being dumped down practically on top of one another it did not give the Health Committee much heart to investigate sanitary conditions. Perhaps town planning had something to do with it.

Sir John Denniston : What you really want is social regeneration. Witness: Yes, something like that. Sir John Denniston:' Oh, well, that is indeed a large - order. Mr H. Baldwin chairman of the Hospital Board), in the course of his evidence,.confirmed Dr Valintine’s statement that the epidemic had revealed a lack of knowledge of home nursing. Witness characterised it as deplorable, and said tho board supported instructions being given. Mr John Pearce Luke (Mayor of Wellington) gave evidence as to tho measures taken to combat the epidemic before the outbreak. In anticipation of something happening, he communicated with the cha'rman of the Hospital Board and the hospital medical superintendent, and with them went to see the District Health Officer. Dr Watt informed him that the duties of the City Council were confined to I the cleansing of the city and tho backyards of-the houses of the city. The task of dealing with sickness, lie said, would bo the duty of the Hospital Board. Witness ' then instructed the City Engineer to be doubly careful and stringent in regard to tho removal of refuse and tho cleaning _o( tho streets, and also to procure quantities of disinfectant. Additional men were put on for this work. Witness explained the blocking out of the city and the appointment of committees to take charge of blocks. He paid .a tribute to the organisation and ability of Major M'Cristell. The amendment, made in the Public Health Act made an improvement in many matters, but there would be no satisfactory solution until the whole responsibility for the health of the city was put on the City Council, which was the. only body which had the machinery to deal with a big epidemic. The Hospital Board had not such machinery. He admitted that if this arrangement were made it would cost the city more money. He did not think that under municipal, as distinct from Government, control there would be a liability to more slackness in the enforcement of decrees. He was sure that there would be no security against disease so long as preventive measures were the concern of more than one authority. Tho City- Council should be the solo public health authority within the city. The Hospital Board should keep control of, the hospital institutions and charitable aid. and the Government should still deal with shipping. He thought there were just as many cases in the good parts of the city as in the poor parts. The sickness did not _seem to be any worse in one part of the city than in anv other. t)r Makgill (recalled) said that in the then state of knowledge it would . have been absurd to quarantine the Niagara, but in the light of later knowledge it might be considered advisable to quarantine the vessel. He would suggest that three days should be the period, and that more care should be takei’ in the isolation of the patients landed. He did not consider now that the Niagara sickness was severe, seeing that only one death occurred on the voyage.