WHERE'S THE LEPER?

NZ Truth, Issue 107, 6 July 1907, Page 6

WHERE'S THE LEPER?

A Cathedral Ciiy Scare.

, Where' was a .wild cry ( of ''leper raised m. Chris-tchurch on Saturday; .morning last, and caused some perturbation among the residents twho caught the rumoras it flew., It was said- that the leprous subject was a Chinaman,' and this -didn't cause the least surprise, seeing the abominable ■way; m which the dirty Mongols live.. No white person desires to live within coo-ec of them, if he or she can possibly, help it- The quarter m. which the loa/t-h'some persom iwas housed was alleged to be Madras--street, and the authorities were at once communicated with by. the police., So far as the origin of the rum- ; or can 'be traced, a Chinkie told a . white customer that there was a leper,. m one of the slum dwellings m the 1 street mentioned, and he lost no time • m acquainting, a policeman of what* he had learned. The policeman making a report on the subject, Dr. Finch, Health Officer, Chief-Inspector Massey, and Constable Moore made tracks for Madras-street and commenced to go through the awful tenements inhabited by pig-tailed undesirables.! There wasn't a sick person to be found,, however, nor could any tidings *be gained, of the alleged lepers Four or five houses were visited al- , together. Whether that Chinkie who started the leper yarn has any, down . on his Madras-street brethren isn't known ;. pral&ubly, then, there was some individual there suffering 'from a very suspicious disease;; if so • he has disappeared— planted somewherer out of the road. It is to be hoped that the story is apocryphal, bowever. Leprosy isn't wanted m Christohurch, or anywhere else in i this dominion.. But the visit of the Healths Officer will be productive of a great amount of g00d... He was - absolutely^ surprised THAT THESE MALODOROUS DENS should exist m the city, and he is recommending the City. Council to order the owner to pull them down instantly. They are veritable eyesores viewed from the street, and inside they are as filthy, as possible ; nothing seems clean, and one could almost cut the foetid atmosphere with. a razor. The yards ato -the rear would make you ill. The beds arc- on the .floor, mostly ; at night time the places are full of stinking Ohoy, and on the whole they would make .capital (breeding! grounds for the "worst of diseases. Why the Ciiy .-• Inspector hasn'it recommended th© demolition- of these and other hovels m and around the city, years (i ago is a mystery. They are alleged to- 'belong to. a Christ-' church lawyer", or his wife. He owms the large red building ,- at the corner of Tuam and Madras-streets, ,as he has his name affixed to "To Let" notices,, which are pasted owthe windows 1 id awsnsta-irs and- up.. But the front part is occupied by rotten Chinkies, and who does ' this lawyer think will start business m the sameft'Uildtag. as them ? He seems tO'have an overweening love 'for the Chow, does, this Mr 3ix-and-eiglrt ; at anyrate.. comfortable rents come from T&e~ftlock, and the whites got away ( beyond 'the zone of smell. j lt is a shuddersome subject v By the. way, it should interest housewives to kinow.; that i vt3a-o visiting- party, of officials' found a lot of cafoibages m a vile, stinting room; they, were placed^on^a wet -sack, .with another wet sack- over •them* They, were ''old goods," but water- was poured on toy to keep jfehemi , nice- and if resh ' and* green-lookr - ing^ 'If people only saw where some ■of "tfiheir fresh 1 cafobages came, 'from, theywwould.«never deal off : a'-iChow:, again-j