MOTUIHI CONDITIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17139, 19 April 1919, Page 10

MOTUIHI CONDITIONS.

PASSENGERS' COMPLAINTS.

QUARTERS CONDEMNED..'

ALLEGEDLY LAX METHODS.

STATEMENT BY AUSTRALIANS.

Complaints regarding the quarantine arrangements at Motuihi Island were roado by a number of the first saloon passengers of the Niagara, who came to the Her\ld Office in a body on Thursday for the purpose of making a statement regarding their experiences. The passengers were Messrs. John Sandcs, of Sydney, E. Trenchard, George C. Allen, A. E. Woods, of Melbourne, Mr. E. Collins, of Geelong, J. Fyfe Smith, of Vancouver, and H. Woollett, of Birmingham. At the outset they complained that on account of the insufficient accommodation on Motuihi they were detained on the ship for eight days, and as fresh cases of influenza were occurring daily, they were subjected to grave risks of contracting disease themeolves. In respect to the disembarkation of the passengers on Motuihi. after having been confined to the infected ship for over a week, they complained that tho Department had no right to send persons ashoro to an island that was totally unfit for tho reception of sick people, to place thc6o sick people in buildings that wero not habitable, and in respect to tho healthy people from the ship, to send them ashoro without having previously arranged for proper and sufficient accommodation, i especially for the women and children.

The Disembarkation. Describing tho scenes following disembarkation from the Niagara, the passengers stated that they were landed on the beach about 10 a.m. and were told that they would have to remain there until 2 p.m.', by which time the Now Zealand passengers, who were to be released that day, would havo vacated their quarters. Somo of tho newlv-landod pn&engers were told by Major W. H. Pettit medical officer in charge of the quarantine island, that they v could visit any part of the island, provided they did not go near the Now Zealand passengers' camp. Several visited other ports of the island and during their absence fresh instructions were given to the others by Dr. Mercer, who said a mistako had been made by Major Pettit, and that they could go up to tho camp immediately. Thoso passengers who wandered to other parte of tho island were, owinfr to the conflicting instructions, deprived of food for a'number of hours. Regarding the passengers, among whom wero included the women and children, who re. mained on the beach, on their way up to tho camp they met the New Zealand passengers and the two companies, thoso who had completed quarantine and those who were to fulfil quarantine, mingled with each other, thereby destroying all tho good effects of quarantine.

Tents Said to be Old. Before the New Zealand passengers were first landed from the Niagara, working parties were formed for the purpose of erecting the tents. The tents were very, old and contained holes which caused intense draughts. There were no wooden floors and the damp ground caused some of _ the passengers to get rheumttic twinges. When the New Zealand passengers went ashore the barracks to which the women passengers wero to bo sent were exceedingly dirty and were practically uninhabitable. Some of the women, therefore, went to tho camps. ' When tho j through passengers ware landed the bar-1 racks wero cleaned up to some extent, but were very dirty and some of thq women passengers elected to go to tho camps. No one was provided with common toilet utensils. On account of thero being no provision for hanging clothes in tho tents, the women found in tho mornings that some of their clothing was too damp to wear and it had to bo dried in the sun. Tho passengers stated that while the people of Auckland had the right to be protected from anything which would en-1 danger their health, the passengers also had the right to be protected. Tho | arrangements made on the island consti-, tuted an extreme danger to the health of the people of New Zealand. Proper 1 quarantine was not carried out, conflicting | instructions wore given by the medical officers as to how it should bo carried out, and no effort was made to prevent the "contacts" from mingling with the cick and infected persons. Under the arrangements it was not possible to refrain from breaking quarantine precautions. All; passengers were coming into contact With each other. Thus, facilities were provided for the dissemination of the disease throughout the island, in spito of the supervision of Dr. R. H. Makgill and: Major Pettit. A " contacts" camp was ■ established within a few yards of the j camp for the first-class passengers, who i were free to walk about among the " con-1 tads," nor wore they prevented or in-! structed not to do bo. There was much I mingling with the convalescent cases, also.' There was no system of segregation, and the arrangements on the island wero undoubtedly more favourable to the spread of the disease than to tho control of it. I Permits to Leave Island, Tho passengers referred to the movements of Dr. Makgill in going to and from the city to the island as being likely to spread infection, and assorted that six first-class passengers, who had gono over to the second-class camp, were given permits to leavo tho island, and on the day they left tho camp another case developed. One of' the passengers who left tho island under permit was staying at an Auckland hotel four days before the remainder of tho through passengers wero released. Tho crews of the small steamers who went down to Motuihi.to bring tho! passengers and their luggage (o Auckland mixed freely with the peoplo on tho island, and somo workmen from tho city who were engaged in erecting a gasolene 1 engine wero allowed to go back to tho! city without any precautions having been taken to prevent them propagating infection. Complaint was made that Dr. Makgill promised the passengers before they left: the ship that the compound system would bo adopted, each tent to bo a compound, | so that if the member of one tent de-1 veloped a high temperature only thoso in that tent would be regarded as being under strict observation, and thoso in other tents would not be affected or be required to undergo an extended period of quarantine. The promise made by Dr. Makgill was not kept. Ono woman passenger, who had been under medical treatment on the vov. 0

age, and had been attended by the ship's doctor, developed a high temperature while on the island, and, notwithstanding the i fact that Major Pet-tit was informed by i tho woman's husband of the naturo of the i case, it was insisted that she should be regarded as a suspicious influenza case. The passengers alleged, further, that the medical officers paid no attention to the convenience of the passenger** ; in fact, they appeared to go out of their way to make things inconvenient. The passengers were told one afternoon that they wore to be released the following day, but : n the meantime a passenger, tho woman referred to. developed a temperature, and on the next morning, despito the fact that some of tho tents nqd been dismantled and that j all the passengers had packed their holongings, they were all sent back to the earn p. Union Company's Efforts Praised. inadequacy of the lavatory accommodaReference was also made to the extreme tion provided, and to the fact that all and sundry used the conveniences, the quarantine regulations again being broken. Regarding the food, there was little'to complain about. The Union Steam Ship Company, through its officers, did everything possible to make the enforced stay of the passengers as comfortable as could be in the circumstances, and had it not been for the company, the plight of the passengers would nave been very {serious.