IN DEFENCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 299, 14 December 1918, Page 5

IN DEFENCE

MINISTERIAL FRICTION WITH AUCKLAND - ; <>.>. v v ■ | MR (RUSSELL'S EXPLANATION 1 "NO BREACH OF DTJTY ON Hlf> . PART." Dec. 13. . The Minister' of Health {Hon. G. "W. Russell) has forwarded .to : the Herald; a 'lengthy letter in defence of his attitude! in respect to the fxtfttion with the Mayor.. (Sir Gunson) and the people of, . Auckland*, which, it is cwrent'.y report.-, ed, lias almost led to a Cabinet crisis. • Referring to the: outbreaitc. of the,epidemic, Mr Russell says: "By 2nd.November the disease hads. assUined . its most acute form ini Auckland. That day, Dr Frengley, Chief' Healin Officer, ipformed' mo that on the following Monday ho intended .proceeding to Tar an aid .011 an inspection tour. ~T immediately instructed hito that in cob.-', sequence of the epidemic which broken out, lie . must leave that. ~ , day (Saturday) for Aucklandi. On. Monday, I ~ myself 'left for Auckland, and dated , myself at onco with the Mayor and the, •Oitisiens'' with. the view to, organising a. departure from Aucklandi the Mayor, thanked me for the services I liad' dered, and , used tl\e words: 'I do rot kniow what we should, haive don© oi.lt the assistance'.you 'have -glyep, isl'* Subsequently the disease broke • lit,: in other 1 parts of the . Dominion, t ,aDd rapidly spread over the entire coy ritry.; At this time •Dr Fr'engley v 'was tinp- 1 Health Officer, Dr Valmtino .an'd Dr Makgill being. ■associated tlio Defence" Department. .i&KdrtlyJailets' wardathe District N Health Officer WeiMngtito , and- the .Secretary ~o£ {he jDepartment fell victims* to he raa.'ady,; and as a result the respons&ilty of .epidemic work at, devolved ujpon Miss Macleah, am assistant inspector, arid i a junior telerkj and £. . • may; say without fear of \#as'' tho most trying ■ of niy life." . . I*'. :In regard to the telegram sent .to, Mr Gamson on 29th N&vetober, Mr Hussell says •• ; rt The Mayor had stated t publicly through th» pres# thai, 'lf the Minister for public Health will protectvjtKis community it will become my duty .&& Maybr. to take adequate to afford the protection) that is its diue.* That; statement was regarded by N me as a. deliberate challenge as to tfiy willingness and ability to do my dfuty ' in. regard to the protection of the city. Conscious as I was that there had_ been no breach of duty on my part, . either to Aticklan*} or to, the remainder of the Domaniioni, aifter partefujll I despatched a telegram:to the Mayor as a' clialleiige _ -to liim. 4niA > those hel represented with regard to\ theit respon- . sibility for its condition'." ' r

v' ! y ; . • ... : ■ . ■ 11 .. : QUARANTINING OP THE ' j^AKUEA. With to the , quarantining l of the MaJcara, the Minister says: t "QDIP Erengley' did not ask for • Authority for the. quarantining, of-itho r shipj' bilbcording "t-o the newspapers" / lie ■'Vaslteil • the "'vessel, afterward® conferred' with, the Mayor, and then declared tho quarantine. lii ■ ah.' ■ report which was received he stated that in -view .of the fact that influenza was present, otti board the ship and! - the •-uncontrollable condition: of public feeling in-.- Aubkland, he had ordered) the vessel • into quarantine. That report was iwrt'uteai . by me to, the effect 1 that I,resetted that? Dr Prengley had allowed . described as an 'uncontrollable state _or public feeling' in Auckland* to f with him. in: .coming 1 a -decision - m whkjh lie should Kavfe been guided soJely by legal -and! scientific considerations. - The' Chief Health .Officer (Dr V^in r tine), on his arrivalat Auckland, a few days ago, reported! that- it 'would be to the eternal disgrace of those *responsi- . ble* sif - the q\iarantino of MaltuKfc were maintainei 1 !. With my authority, after consultation ' with cabinet, the ship lias been .released-, oarrjratig witli' her 14,000 'case® of applet •. t«~ quirfed in New Zealapd l at the present , , time, and the whole of''the' rest of het* cargo. For this action, the lnfltience which * he oxelrcisedi unon'Dtr. the * Mayor of Auckland must ' hiore at less I-be'held responsible. ' . "I SHALIi ALLOW »lAN- TO ■ " BUUiY/ME." \ Concluding, Mr. Russfrll says: 'While f am entrusted with'; the* grave-duty > of ; ; protectiilg the - health.'- -of the Dominion I shall allow no man* be he IMtiyor. or any t other officer, ito bully mo as to, my ..... responsibiliities. "Wheni' -a . ' Ittymanj, without professional advisers at his back .threatensy-. as the- Mayor of Ailckt land outrageously did, to take whatever feteps he thought necessary, whether legal, .or. otherwise, • I shall' hint- .as exactly • as. I other : , person, who wbtild break, the vlaw, , In. conclusion,* I wish to ?ay that if the Mayor of Auoltlandi is prepared to make the amende honorab'Je and withdraw the • offensive statement, made bv him which evoked. my reply, I eha-J bo prepaxjeid to consider .tlie q'ue&tiotl ot withdaNvwiu'ft . the... telegram whifch... 1 4 sent him, but not before. '' It* is stated', that the Minister -is lit error in stating that Dr. Freligiey ed the Makura after . conferring with the Mayor, and then declared the vessel ( in qiuarnnitiine, - - N,®%V£tpap<A.* ; )r)jports. stated tliat it was visiting the ship and declaring it in Dr. Frengley conferred with the Mayor - BISHOP CLEARY'9 ' OTRtiC'tUBfES. Bishop Cleary, oho 'of 'the' fi P® B 'k er ? «,t last night's public meeting, said that no worse exhibition/of had ; been shown than was contained! in the 'telegram that had "been sent to the Chief Magistrate of • the citv by Mr., Russell. The attack wasi unprovoked' j it was seriously nusleadintr Jn substance aiifti- m fact, and stum-misl-fr offensive in tx>no . temper. 1 was' entirely .un,wotr*hy' th« tmgic occasion and .of a . Mirtiter 0Crowni. I,b wa flung the ot the citizens when) Auckland wafe a fity of magnificent effort,- a 'city of t<JaW and of death. Tho m'essago came at, a time when v Of the city had-died of "Niagara. - It came at a time when' the people were dyinsi irf liunda-eda, wlienl coffins could not be, preparedl qmckly nor graves, dug- quickly as they t needed. Even Ministers of tlie Cxwvn mu«t- learn that tliey,- too, 'must obey the amenities of social! inittffCourße. Thev, too, must Iqarni to put a snauln on their tongues; and. they musU Jeton, above all, that the nnblic safety-must receive first consideration.' , , . Mr Gunson, in. eome remarksr-at last Wight's nveetang, statfcd that he. received 5 a visit from Dr. that afternoon, and the latter, in h»;officia* capacity, had formally read to him > portion ot a telegram ■ from Health -Officer (Dr. Valmtme) -regard, ing the holding of the mcetirig. foalows i—"The Department . cannot, -he held responsible for any consequence S -might 'ttccrao' from a-crowded meeting, especially ftom -persons excStombnt'. • The- , ; DfWjn«nt legally prohibit the-meehn£, \mb l£/tho .Mayqt.V The reading of Jh* telegram greeted with, laughter... .