THE PLAGUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11372, 15 May 1900, Page 5

THE PLAGUE.

By TelcgrapL-Press Association.-Copyright. Sydney, May 14. The plague record to Saturday was 216 cases, 76 deaths, and 57 discharged cured. A fresh case, Alice Russell, of Woollahra, was reported to-day. The cleansing of the city and suburbs is steadily progressing. As one area is released another is quarantined. Later. The following additional cases of plague are reported :—Blanche Mort, Hurstville ; Alex. Black, Alexandria ; James Dallas, Darlinghurst; Martha Booth, Surry Hills. Melbourne, "May 14. A supposed case of plague is reported at Geelong.

PRECAUTIONS IN NEW ZEALAND. [by telegraph.—press association.]

Wellington-, Monday.

The presence of rats in the post offices' being to a large extent due to the practice on the part of the public of enclosing wedding cake in paper packets or cardboard boxes, the Postmaster-General has decided to rigidly enforce the rule compelling tin boxes to be used for the transmission of the articles named. At a meeting of the City Council to-night the Mayor stated that he had had no interview with the Governor, at which the latter complimented His Worship on the cleanliness of the city and the precautionary measures taken against the introduction of plague. The City Council tonight decided to' Allow poultry (fowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, and pigeons) to be kept within the city on payment of a license fee of 5s per annum, no poultry-house to be within 50ft of a dwelling or 10ft of a boundary fence. This is practically prohibition, except where those desirous of keeping birds have a fairly large area. CiiniSTCHuncii, Monday. Dr. Mason, the Health Commissioner, was engaged this morning in visiting the Drainage Board's pumping station and sewage farm. He, considers the present method of sewage disposal by pumping into settling pits in the sandhills, and then disintegrating it by means of water, and using the fluid for reclaiming the sandhills, the most perfect he has seen in the colony, and very little behind septic tanks. Although there is a slight smell from the operations, he does not consider it anything deleterious to health, as the farm is far enough removed from any residences. So far as he has seen Christchurch compares very favourably with the North Island centres. He, however, advocates completion of the sewage system, which he considers can only be accomplished by amalgamating the suburbs with Christchurch, under one head. To-morrow he inspects the wharves at Lyttelton. The City Council at its meeting to-night received an offer from Mr. A. E. Ward to erect a building and plant to destroy nightsoil and refuse on a guarantee of £1500 per year for 10 years. The proposal was referred to the Sanitary Committee. The citv contractor wrote stating that the work of carting rubbish had greatly increased of late, and asked for an increase of £4 10s per week on his contract price, until '.he " fever for clearing rubbish had abated somewhat," perhaps in a month or six weeks. The Works Committee was empowered to make the best arrangements possible.

Dr. Baldwin, the Sanitary Commissioner for the province of Auckland, was engaged yesterday, in company with the Mayor, Mr. Warnock, making a general inspection of Grey Lynn Borough.