ANSWER OF THE MAYOR.

Northern Advocate, 6 September 1913, Page 5

ANSWER OF THE MAYOR.

FAILURE TO SEE ANY HUMOUR.

HAMILTON, Sept 6. The "Waikato Times" publishes an interview with the Mayor of Hamil-] ton as a reply to the Health Depart-J ment regarding the position of the Maori kaianga in the Waikato. Mr Manning states that all he said is true in every detail. What the natives really regarded as a joke was thatan official visit should be made a fortnight after their wants had been attended to and after they had been allowed to suffer for some months. The Department, he says, has shown an entire lack of business aptitude and effectively proved itself incapable of office, and the shifting of responsibility on to the Hospital Board was only an excuse for an easy way of shirking a duty. Had a sub-inspector ueen placed in each infected camp the natives could have Tjeen restricted to their settlements and there would then have been none of the present wanton extravagance and uneasiness, while the absurd proclamations issued by thousands through the country would have been unnecessary. No doubt, he says, it is very gratifying .to the Minister and Departmental officers to regard the whole thing as a joke, but local bodies, on whom all the trouble has been shouldered, have failed to see any , Tiumour in the situation. Had it not for the assistance readily given by local bodies, it would have been a case of "God help the country and " heaven spare the Government." It was a disgrace and a menace to the country that the Department should have tinkered with the matter as it Tiad, instead of adopting a strong and definite policy. The officers of the Department had rightly burned clothes considered to be infected, but Tiad neglected to supply the natives with anything in substitution. The result was that, as late as last week there was an appeal for clothing whicb_ikd to be supplied by charity. the Mayor would like the Department to state who was in charge of the Morrinsville isolation ■camp and why it was broken up.