SHADBOLT'S SORROWS.

NZ Truth, Issue 380, 5 October 1912, Page 5

SHADBOLT'S SORROWS.

TERRIBLE TALE OF TRIAL AKD TRIBULATION.

VICTIM OP CRUEL AND CRUSHING CIRCUMSTANCES;

Little River Storekeeper —A Pestilential Place — Disease and Death— How a Man was Ruined — A Claimant for Cash Consideration— Crushed by the Law's Delays— A Battle Against Overwhelming Odds— Matter for the Massey Ministry.

fFronT-'Truth's^Christchurobt^Rep^'

Mokau Jones and J. J* Meikle have, worn larger holes in' the Ministerial doorstep than any other persons with grievances m New Zealand, but the individual Who .at the present time seonis to have the biggest claim : upon the practical sympathy of the Administration is E. F.- Shadbolt' domiciled m Christchurch, who was ruined at Little River through the blundering and negligence, and cussedness of the Railway Department.- In the past, on more than one occasion, "Truth" has referred to the case of Shadbolt, and re-opens the matter now because the treatment of the man by the Government -of the day WAS HARSH TO BRUTALITY, and -because- the pestilential conditions, whicli brought about his ruin, still exist, with but trifling abatement at Little Rivor, and- require to be -dragged with violence under the nose of the Department. , Shadbolt was a man ot considerable means when, m 1907, he opened a. business at Little River, m a general store and refreshment rooms. Me was an old athlete, physically strong and m the best of health, hi 3 wife and family also m good health, and there was "every promise that his business-energy would be rewarded m a liberal manner* Then various pestilences fell upon the house, which was permeated by horrible \ odors. Shadbolt was taken ill with dysentery • stomachic inflammation followed, then typhoid, arid he was finally operated on - for appendicitis, emerging from the hospital a- wreck of his former self. Mrs Shadbolt also suffered from, dysentery and inflammation, and was oporatedvon for appendicitis. A servant girl fell ill, was duly opened by tho doctor, and had her appendix removed. Osborne, a farmer, living near the railway station, close by, was taken ill, opr crated on for appendicitis, and died. A boy paid a visit to t)ie Shadbolts, remained three" or four days, fell ill from appendicitis, WAS • KNIFED BY THE SURGEON, and didn't recover. Shadbplfs little boy, ■, Frankie, hitherto a healthy child, took sick, was operated on for adenoids, and was ,so poorly after-' wards that he had . to be sent away into tho country. One other child was badly attacked by dysentery, tho trouble developing later into water on the brain. A little girl next went ' under the- doctor, and one of her. kidneys was found to be affected. Two other servant girls took to bed, and as the notoriety' of the smsllsome premises had -by this time become very conspicuous, the doctor ordered them out of tho house. Another little boy got a headache and went off his tucker and was subsequently operated on for blood-poison-

ing. 'At the railway station +he stationniaster was. ill, and' the clerks didn't know what was wrong withi them. People began to avoid Wit store. The idea of having refreshments m a place where typhoid was m "the air, or of carrying away rash-* ers of bacon with .dysentery gefrhs clinging to them, or absorbing ap-t pendicitis through the store cheese* didn't, appeal' to the people, and they; ceased to do business . with greaiJ unanimity, and . , ,"**. SHADBOLT WAS RUINED. . The tardy investigation that iol-* lowed revealed the fact that a oover-« ed drain ran from, the railway sta- 1 ti on urinal. right -under, the store", where an open vent had been kindly; placed to carry disease and death to the, people above. Little River was a favorite picnic resort of the Christ- 1 church people, the station convenience was used by large parties, and there was no outlet lor the sewage,, and Shadbolt and the neighborhood got the benefit, I>irthermore, it was discovered that the station, nightsoil Was buried on the section ad-t joining the store and right close up. to it ; that it was not properly coyered over, and was m itself a source of disease. In fact, there being nd method of disposing of sewage at; the railway station, : it festered mi the neighborhood throughout the hoti months of the summer, and Shad^ bolt, per. medium, of the oW. drain, GOT THE WOKST OF IT. The premises were ordered to "be closed by the Health Inspector (Dr« Saundersf), aitd the remnant of Shadbolt's family limped out and pat-, ronised the hospital. Later, tbo store was destroyed by fire. Shadbolt appealed to the Depart-t ment for compensation, and the Govw ernment kept him waiting for five months, at the expiration of whicH time they wrote to him advising him not to go to law as ho had no case, and would assuredly lose. Thb unspeakable Department forced him ta fight two Supreme Court actions < and, to effectually cripple him, in-; trbduced the Crown Suits Act, which had the eftect of limiting the claim to three months only,; instead pt eighteen months, cutting out tho period covered by Shadbolt'.s, costly doctors' expenses. '-Shadbolt obtained £100 damages m the first action, and |n tho second it was increased to £200, but no posts were allowed in' the second case. The Government withheld payment of the damages fpn three months, and. when written to on the subject, roplied that word had been received froan Stringer, X.C.. that an order of tho court existed irt favor of Neill nnd Co., merchants, and that the money could not bo paid over to Shadbolt TILL THIS CLAIM WAS 'SATISFIED. : Shadbolt was astonished because ho had produced as an exhibit during the court proceedings, a receipt from Neill and Co. showing that tho amount had been paid m full. Tho delay m paying jtho damages was the more brutal because tho victim had been reduced to absolute penury by law expenses and the failuro ot his business, and tho very beds were actually taken from under himself and family. The £200 was afterwards swallowed up m "Costs."Shadbolt next petitioned tho House, praying that damages dUo to him should bo made to cover eighteen months instead of the three months' limitation, imposed by the Crown Suits Act, and twclvo months ago this petition was roported upon favorably by tho Petitions Committee, and the payment of compensation was made a rocommondation to tho then Government. In tho political upheaval of tho past twolvo months, Shadbolt's case has been temporarily lost m the ANGRY WASH OF POLITIC AD WATERS, . but it has reached the surface again. During the actions for damages, the' Government made very light of tho intolerable nuisances at Litt.lo lUvcr, and it was asserted that with very small expenditure, the cause of tho trouble had been removed. Somo time afterwards— Octohcr 20, I9it, to, be accurate— the Akaroa "Mail" published this :— "On Tuesday last the District Inspector of Health visited Little Rivor. He was met by.Mf Montgomery. Mr W. F. Parkinson, and a number of other gentlemen belonging to tho district, who pointed out the very Insanitary state of tho Government railway drain and tho unhealthy state of tho Government conveniences, both at tho stution house and apart fron\ it. Mr Montgomery said the urinals were m a disgraceful stato, and drained straight Into tho Government drain, which ran through tho township. Ho said ho considered tho Government should at least put m a septic tank at the railway station, for m tho summer the stench from tho drain was frightful, and would lead to a serious . opidemic of diphtheria if not attended to at onco. Tho Inspector said ho had previously brought tho matter of the Government drain before Dr. Fir.eh. Chief Health Officer, but was unablo to mako a full report because ho had not time to inspect It thoroughly." It will be seen that the Masscy Government has not only INTUIKITJJD THIS DEPLORAULR CASK from tho Ward Administration. )>ut it has taken over a railway station so insanitary Jn character thut an opidamic 1b feared at uny timo m Little River, which may result m numerous ptiher/ pluiiaa * for compon, cation,