PLAGUE-BEARING FLEA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18016, 15 February 1922, Page 7

PLAGUE-BEARING FLEA.

CAMPAIGN OF EXTERMINATION ATTENTION TO RAILWAYS. A. and N.Z. SYDNEY. Feb. 14. The health authorities are urging a campaign against fleas as a precaution against the spread of plague. Numerous complaints have been made about the prevalence of this pest in railway carriages. Dame Melba, in a letter to tho press, has given prominence to the subject. She states that when sho was travelling from Melbourne in a sleeper neither she nor her maid was able to obtain a wink of Bleep owing to the attentions of fleas. The Railway Commissioners, after making special inquiry, replied that the sleeper was thoroughly overhauled, cleaned, and fumigated before it was used by Dame Melba. They are now undertaking more effective methods for regular and complete destruction of all vermin in railway carriages.

MAIN TRUNK CONDITIONS.

NO COMPLAINTS MADE.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES. Tho complaints received by Australian railway authorities about tho prevalence of fleas in railway carriages is happily not th 6 experience of local railway officials, 1 for according to statements made yesjterday by officers who havo the immediate supervision of Main Trunk sleeping cars, there has never been any suggestion by passengers that insect pests have inter;fered with their slumbers on the night jjournevs. One officer who has been associated with the Main Trunk sleeper jservico since tho through line was first I opened, said that coming in close contact as he did with many thousands of travellers using the sleepers ho had nover heard one complaint of tho kind, and had there been the slightest causo for dissatisfaction it surely would have come to his I The cleanliness of the sleepers, on tho other hand, has been the subject of much favourable comment, and this is | explained by the exhaustive measures 'taken to prepare the cars for each jourIney. On arrival at Auckland the sleepSing'cars are thoroughly washed out by the women attendants with hot water, I strongly disinfected, and at frequent inItervals a strong solution of formalin is I used to thoroughly fumigate and sweeten I the compartments. All bedding is re'moved and fresh linen provided for each ! journey. It was explained that if a, bunk lis made up and not used on a journey | the sheets and pillow cases are taken 'off and linen fresh from tho laundry substituted. The blankets are subjected to a dry cleaning process at Wellington at short periods, and the looso covors lon the mattresses washed. It is sometimes necessary to carry ini fectious cases in the sleeping cars, but i immediately on arrival at a terminus tho car is side-tracked and turned over to the officers of the Health Department, who thoroughly disinfect it, and keep the compartments scaled until the chance of anv lurking microbes or vermin is completely discounted. "No." "aid Q"<> official, "the travelline public here have no fear of encountering fleas or running the risk of becoming infected on any of the sleepers, for thn cars arc as clean as human hands can make them. Of course wo cannot ciiard against passengers carrying vermin with them, as ttiey might easily bring these unwelcome passengers with them from the streets nr from the crowds which thev pass on their way to the platforms, but I have never heard of any comP Tho measures taken to cleanse the car riages used on the suburban linw is equally thorough, for these cars are hashed out daily with strong and the cushions turned up and the undei Zcture of the seats well brushed d,wn. Talmost impossible to repeat this procm between trips on lines where he service is frequent, but irfiert a car :ibd as de for even two hours, opportunity is Sen to wash down the floors w.Ui a disinfecting solution.