THE PLAGUE IN AUCKLAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIII, Issue 12241, 29 June 1900, Page 4

THE PLAGUE IN AUCKLAND.

There is still the shadow of a doubt as to whether the suspicious case : n Auckland was one of plague, but tike evidence points very strongly in thftt direction, and for the safety of the rest of the colony it. is absolutely necessary that the northern city should be treated as an infected port. There is always a danger that the first signs of plague will bo overlooked, because doctors who have no first-itahd knowledge of the scourge cannot be certain in their diagnosis, and are naturally inclined to attribute a death to some disease which, they know well. In this case blood-poisoning has been put forward as the cause of death. The ordinary clinical examination is not of great assistance, and the real decision rests with bacteriolc-gista. Mr Gilruth states* definite-, ly, that. Kelly, was suffeiaßg from plague,;

while Professor Thomas, of Auckland, dei' -clares that he is not altogether satisfied. The report of the Sydney experix, Dr is of course not yet available. In fehese'chv cumstances it was obviously the doty- Of the Government to take every precaution necessary to prevent the spread of the disease.' Unfortunately She Auckland authorities do not seemi to have -acted promptly on the Colonial Secretary's instigations, and the " contacts " were not at once ssolafced. That has been don© now, however, and their dwellings have been quarantined, so that with ordinary care the disease may be stamped out before it can obtain a hold jn she colony. The Government deserves every praise for its action, in the matter, and we are sorry liat all the members of the House of Representatives did not recognise the urgency of the case when tbey insisted on; debating the Plague Bill at great length, yesterday morning. The measure appears' to its to be on the whole a necessary aad 1 workable one. In the absence of infcrma- ; tion we cannot speak definitely regarding ' the financial clauses, but tie Press Association report indicates that half tie cost of >( dealing with the plague will be borne by iSxet State, while the other half remains a charge upon the "local bodies interested." To outf mind the whole cost should be bexne by the State. We are all interested in stamping! out the disease, and whatever measures are undertaken by the Auckland City Council are as much for the safety of Christeharch 1 and Dunedin as for that of Auckland itself,: Moreover, if the plague' obtained a strong hold we could mot expect tha aortkerfi city to face an expendifcara of, say* £40,000, which" might possibly be' involved. ' The occurrence of this case shows 'that the cleans • ing of our cities was taken in hand not ai moment too soon. Ifc'haS been proved that .our climate gives ns no the scourge, and we must depend tipon ourselves' for protection. The people of Auckland l ""

will no doubt suffer inconvenience and ioss, ; but the same fate might fallen upon any other city, and we hope that they will give the Government the most loyal fepporfci and assistance in freeing the colony from tihe scourge.