THE EPIDEMIC

Grey River Argus, 7 December 1918, Page 3

THE EPIDEMIC

It is untortiiriate that? at tbc^ time when the glad tidings of the signing of the armistice reached the Dominion, we should have been suffei>ig from one of the worst and r.*r? laT-reach-ing epidemics that the' 'country- has t.'ver experienced. The disease — IvITuenza, in many cases attended by complications — was, there- is litt.e doubt, introduced- by .returned soldiers and visitors ." from overseas. . Unhappily, a large number of deaths', have taken place, and . business has been more or less disorganised through out the length and breadth of the Dom inion by the universal sickness, The Minister for Public Health, ably seconded by the Mayors of the various cities and towus aud by' a host of- voluntary workers, has b'ifen doing all he can to grapple with '-the' -epidemic;.: and it is to be hoped that by the ' prompt, and effective measures which have been taken, it will be stamped out at no distant date.

When the ravages of the disease had reached their most, intense stage,, the staffs of Various Banks (already seriously reduced fhrough s'ti inauy officers being absent on military duties) were affected to such an extent that it was impossible to carry on business as usual;. -and. with the. sanction of the Minister of Finance, all Bank officers were closed for one week from Wednesday, 20th November, to Tuesday, 26th November, tiotli inclusive, the object' being to gHve the incapacitated officers vii opportunity to recuperate and the. attenuated staffs, a chance of overtaking their work and . pulling up arrears.- Moreover, Banks, are places where, on occasions,' the public congregate and the ..'.: cOngestidiLj at the counters is sometimes' considerable, particularly when there is an insufficiency in the sta'lT v Of tellers. Closing was therefore also desirable with a view to assisting f o ' chock the spread of the disease vy reducing the number of places of public assembly where contact with infected people might take place and the disease be propagated