SEPTICEMIA OUTBREAK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13496, 24 May 1907, Page 6

SEPTICEMIA OUTBREAK.

DRASTIC SANITARY MEASURES

CITY COUNCIL'S DISCUSSION. M jI-'.'*** "r * j - : * v '• y

HOUSES TO BE " DEMOLISHED. Dr. J. S. Purdy, district health officer, has sent a. long report to . the City Council upon the recent outbreak of septicemia in Lower Queen-street, and the report was read at the meeting of the Council yesterday. The doctor, after giving exhaustive details of the measures taken in dealing I with the cases, thanked the Mayor and the committee - for, the - most loyal : and hearty way in which they had assisted him; and for the promptitude with which they had supported . ail his suggestions. He continued - ■/ I am pleased that you all recognise the necessity of jiustuiig lorwara a vigorous sanitary crusade, and i trust that by efficient organisation.- a due lumg ot responsiuility, and, a Dove all,-unlimited scavenging, wo will sacceed in tnoruugmy - cleaning tne city, and tnat the loyal' co-operation ot the ..contiguous autnorities . will.. enable us. to make Auckland as clean us it, '3 pooairjie to be. 1 need not specify m detail ail the special sanitary - requirements;- as £ am-well aware that ' your 1 oiuciats - are fully acquainted with them. 1 would suggest, however, tnat instead of making ' recommendations permissive,,, they, be made compulsory, and. tailing compliance therewith, ail offenders be brought to: book. lor their sins of omission as well as commission. In tnis respect, it is absolutely essential that every householder be supplied witn a proper sanitary receptacle lor refuse, and tnat this be removed with, regularity and due ..respect to cleanliness. . As during tne past week the officials of the Health Department and the City' Council have worked;-„active.co-opera-tion, I trust that this will continue. Those who indulge most in recrimination are often the worst offenders' themselves, and it behoves every citizen to look after his own patch ' of • ground v first. "• j Sanitation,- like charity, -should begin *at home, and if all householders would assist the officials, 'as has. been the',? case >, during the . recent outbreak, the task of your officials would .be rendered much easier. • Practical protection against an epidemic consists in removal of all those conditions which favour the * harbourage, feeding, and breeding of rats in the immediate neighbourhood of occupied premises, and in excluding rats from' dwellings. This is attainable by steady and faithful execution of the elementary details of municipal sanitation."" The same conditions, namely, darkness, dampness, filth, and bad construction of dwellings are causes of the incidence of consumption which assuredly kills more 1 people than it may safely he said plague ever will destroy here, however often there '* an outbreak of the disease. The burning question for the city and the other local authorities of Auckland is the prosecution of progressive sanitary measures. The population can never really safe from a visitation, especially of' typhoid ' fever, until " not' only ; your drainage scheme becomes ' an, accomplished fact, but until the neighbouring localities are also properly drained. This remark applies more especially, to , those authorities .whose, .districts..form .part.. thfe ."Catchment area, to- the. chief . source of . your water lumily. . The present primitive method in. many places, of draining into the soil direct, will remain a standing menace to the health of the city And suburbs' until • publ opinion is sufficiently -aroused to' compel alt the authorities to adopt modern drainage. The sub- [ ject-is- of such vital importance that I consider that the whole-area should be placed under one governing body. Even if the city sewage.was satisfactorily disposed of. the danger from .. surrounding / districts would still -be a potential one. I therefore suggest that a meeting of all the members of the local Councils be summoned to discuss this subject, together with the chief health officer, your engineer, and others.

! THE COUNCIL'S POSITION, ' The Mayor ; said he. was ■ quite sure that the prompt action .taken by himself in cooperation with. Dr. Pur ay to leave no stone unturned in stopping the spread of [this, disease would meet with; the approval of the citizens. It f was ./gratifying. to know that after all the- efforts of the Health Departments and 1 the officials of .the City Council, "Auckland was once again a clean city. The Council, he was sure, would agree to " prosecute most' vigorously] those persons whose 'premises were in an insanitary condition. The city would 1 benefit materially by the co-operation of the citizens with: the officials *to make Auckland a perfectly clean city ; ' but perfection in this respect could not be hoped for until a comprehensive drainage scheme was carried out'.' . . ;;. ; ".I'-Tv. Dr.. Mason, the chief health officer of .the colony, was present at the meeting, and the Mayor assured " him that the Council were' only too'- pleased to co-operate with his Department in anything he might suggest. for the- sanitary betterment, of the. city." The officials of the Health Department were sometimes over-zealous, but that was - preferable .to indifference .or laxity. The Council was fully alive to its responsibilities, and always ready to co-operate in making Auckland, a thoroughly clean city. A drainage conference would be called very soon, ana Dr.: Mason would be asked to bb present. The Council was very pleased with the action of . Dr. Purdy in regard to the cases of septicemia already referred to. -.. " ADMIRABLE DISCRETION." -' "

- Mr. C. J. Parr remarked that the citizens appreciated ' very highly the admirable discretion ; exercised :in regard to the two j cases taken from the buildings-in Lower Queen-street. The attitude of the Health Department," the" City Council, and the press in this matter had been most praise-1 worthy. ; ' / • Sir. Farrell agreed so far v as. the ' action of the Health Department in its sanitary measures was concerned, but he wished to know who would-be-" responsible for ■ any liability that might arise in respect to the measures taken at the . buildings in question. The place had been completely gutted inside. He thought the Health Department had had very docile..people to deal with -in the case of the second ; poor 'girl, who had worked at the- buildings and had died, v -He- contended that ", full notice should' have been •taken of the opinion' Jof the medical man who had attended the . girl ' before V such drastic measures had been taken as had been carried out by the Health Department. He felt that a very hasty determination had been made in the case.-■ _ : • The Mayor said the Council's employees I received their instructions from the Health Department. The'- question of compensation—if any such question would have to be considered—was not of primary importance "in such circumstances as had arisen, especially if other cases had broken out on the* . following, day.:;:. The. district health officer had taken'all reasonable precautions,- and only discharged what he bet lieved was his duty. It was a delicate matter," and difficult to argue,- but so far as the • Council was concerned, he was quite prepared •to take ' all. the responsibility. . WORKS ORDERED TO BE DONE- 1

A communication from Dr. Purdy on the question - of the. tenants of the building in Lower Queen-street/ ' being given '48 hours' notice to quit was then considered, The necessary. certificate under the Public Health Act requiring the tenants to be notified; was read. ; .The. Mayor then moved : " That notice . be given to the owner, or owners,' of the buildings in Queen-street, certified by the district health officer, under date of May 21, 1907, to.be by. reason of their insanitary condition, dangerous to public health, requiring . them, within ; one "week from the date of such notice', to remove these insanitary conditions. by. executing the' following works, viz. : (a) Cellar underneath ; to ' be cleaned; out and ,: made; waterproof; (b) the flooring, on the ground floor to be removed ; (c) . the second -and third floors, and all , partitions to be ' removed; (d) the , stairs and landings .to be removed, and all scrim and wallpaper to P® r L'M)< the. whole of the. jngidfc. ofthe building to be thoroughly disinfected." This.was carried.;*.; A SHOCKING CASE.

A letter was then read from Dr. Purdy as follows:—"I inspected the premises owned and occupied , by the Misses McVeagh : in. Centre-street, Cook-street. This house is in a most disgusting and filthy condition. There is only one means of entrance. The floor is covered with raggod,- dirty -mats, which! are so saturated with filth that' they are stuck to'the floor, which is rotten in places. . . . The two sisters, aged 82 and 86 years, were in. an abject state of neglect. * One sister is bedridden, and the other nist . able to hobble to the door. ... I have seldom seen premises in such an insanitary and filthy state, even in,native quarters of Oriental towns. Owing to strong representations-' made to the Charitable Aid Board, the two old inmates were removed to the .Cost-ley Home; to-day (May 18).

These premises are absolutely unfit - for human habitation, and in such an insanitary condition as to warrant . immediate demolition, as an urgent matter of public danger to the neighbourhood. The other houses . owned by the Misses McVeagh. 1 understand have; already been condemned as unfit fcr human habitation or occupation." ■» The Mayor - said it' was - satisfactory for the' Council to know that the - old women were out 'of the place. * PREMISES TO BE REMOVED. • Dr. Purdy, in another communication to the Council, certified that the premises formerly known' as the " Auckland Fish Market,'" Albert-street, at present known as the " Oceanic Fish Market," were in a dilapidated and insanitary condition, and. absolutely unfit for human habitation or occupation, and required demolition and removal. v The Mayor moved: "That notice be given to the owners of the buildings—(l) in Albertstreet, Auckland, occupied by Messrs. S. Green and Co., and at present known as the "Oceanic Fish Market;" and (2), premises owned by the Misses McVeagh, in Centrestreet and Cook-street-, Auckland, certified by the district health officer, under date May 17 and 18, 1907, respectively, to be by reason of their insanitary condition unfit for human habitation, requiring them within one week from the date of such notice to pull down the said buildings." ' • • This was agreed to. •: ■ " " :r ' *' EXMOUTH-STREET TIP.'. ' Dr Stopford pointed out the condition of the tip in Exmouth-street, and wished to know what the Council was going to do in the matter. The tip was over-run with rats, he said. However, the stencil was awful, and-the matter should engage the attention of the Streets Committee. ]. Dr. Stopford's remarks were noted.