Truth VILE DISUSES

NZ Truth, Issue 580, 29 July 1916, Page 4

Truth

VILE DISUSES

THE PEOPLE'B PAPER. J

NEW ZEALAND HEAD OFFICE— Wellingtons Mo nnera -street PROVINCIAL REPRESENTATIVES— Auckland: 3 Customi-itreet Ea«t Dun.dlni CommunlcaSotV'ao^Ml, P.O.

TERMS TO SUBSCRIBERS. N.Z. Abroad Per Annum ... ... is o 15 6 V PAyabub m advanos HALF-YBABLT 6 6 7 9 \ by QUABraBLY 8 8 4 0 J Po»Ul Note* or Msney Order. ■; SATURDAY, JULY 29, 1916.

WHAT THE MINISTER'S FIGURES PROVE

As pur readers are aware "Truth," through good and 111 report, has tackled the question of venereal disease with tbo' gloves off. For years this paper has not failed to grasp each opportunity that presented itself of directing the attention of our Parliamentarians and of tho public to the growth of this' crimson cancer m our midst till not only the body physical but the body politic seemed to be Infected. Times Innumeral we havo produced unimpeachable evidence that if Now Zealand did not tako action to destroy the scarlet scourge, tho scorlot scourge would destroy New Zealand. All this tlmo not one other Dominion newspaper helped to call tho Government and medical authorities' attention to tho crying neod of some drastic reform being brought about to save this young nation from disease and death. A fow years ago, tho Medical Conference at Auckland, discussed the subject at some length, and whllo a fow advanced men expressed thembolvos along similar lines to those taken by tho Peoplo's Paper, the majority of tho medicoes were antagonistic to any real effective action being token. At several subsequent conferoncoH tho subject has bcon revived, tho advanced men each tlmo adding to their number, but so far the greater number attending such gathering*, although thoroughly conscious of the awful havoc the hidden plague i« making among our men and vr onion, la still too conservative to agrco to. let alone to promt for, the adoption of measure*! which, with somo »how of reason. It may bo claimed, would bo «ufrtclently comprehensive and sclentlfk! 10 check effectively the growth of the disease. Am persons who contracted i one or other form of the dlncnso generally sought to cover up their affliction. It wo* difficult for «yea the

medical profession to get to know the real extent to which the disease had gripped our country. Tho majority of persona bo afflicted being- too ashamed to consult their own family medical men, sought cures from quacks ond charlatans whose nostrums and pe--nlclous drugs generally aggravated tho disease, it wa3 only when the outbreak of war necessitated the establishment of training camps, that our authorities had the means at hand of compiling an accurate record of the number of cases of venereal disease occurring among a specific number or men. To say that the results wore staggering, j 8 but dimly to convey tho impression tho figures mado upon medical men, military officers and Ministers. To many of these tho stato of affairs revealed by the records came as. a sense of physical chock. and Ministers, while admitting the crying need for immediate action, hesitated to act. lest In th«lr newly uwakonud zeal they might «suy or do something which would draw public attention to tho truo state of affairs and thus have an adverse effect on recruiting.

It was because of this fear of damaging recruiting returns that Government action m thia matter has been delayed no long. Now, with a Conscription Act on the Statute Book, this neod no longer worry our Defence Department, and «o the Cabinet consented to tho Minister for Public Health Including In tho War HeKUlaOonH' Amendment Hill certain proponata 'or coping with and curing these dark dincnneti. Thu proposals were Introduced In the HouHte on Wi-Um-Hdny e( last week by the Hon. O, W, Ku*iu-11, 1 1 Is not necewary for uh here to follow i ho Minister through «U the particular* of that very able, wellpreportd »poech. "Truth" wo* pleaxud

to ses that many of the Plute daylies, for once, laid aside their mock modesty and prim prudery and printed the speech almost verbatim. Much that it contained would be a rude awakening to the complacent crowd who are content to feed on the kind of "pap" usually. served up by Fat journals. To "Truth" readers it contained nothing new. and while the Minister's proposals are a considerable advance on anything that has been done or even proposed, before, there is nothing very revolutionary suggested, and, m our opinion, only something very revolutionary will fill the bill at the present time. The Minister and the Government have not been following the band sufficiently close to catch the tune. That is to say, they have not been moving with the times. The proposals now put forward, and the powers; asked for by the Government m the War Regulations Amendment Bill, no doubt, would have been adequate to have gripped and held up the evil as it existed m our midst several yeairs ago. But to-day, any who have- given this question any serious study -at all, know that the proposed regulations will merely scratch the surface. The Chief Justice's finding m the one woman brothel case helps to confuse matters still more, although both the Attorney -General and the Minister foe Public Health m their remarks anticipated Sir Robert's judgment, by declaring that something would have to be done In order to give the police, or the local authorities, power to deal with such cases. And here we might mention that at present there are certain persons m prison m Auckland and elsewhere, who, according to Sir Robert Stout's interpretation of the law, have been illegally convicted and imprisoned. This but once more shows us the crying need, of a Court of Revision, as well as a Court of Appeal. With only the latter m existence the richsysvil-doer often manages to worm his or hex way out of the meshes of the law, which the poorer, and mayhap innocent, person has not the .wherewithal to fight an appeal against an illegal conviction. .

"Truth" has studied carefully tlie Minister's oration, has noted each and every proposal, and it not only trusts that the House will pass them en bloc, but that some of the more advanced members will give their less progressive fellow Parliamentarians some needed enlightenment as to what is being done m other lands to combat the evil of venereal afflictions, and also with the proposals put forth by the leading medical men of Britain and America with the same end m view. If this ,is done, and done as it. ought to be done, then, when Parliament meets next session, after t|io present proposals have had sufficient time to prove just how inadequate they are, probably the Cabinet will be sufficiently enlightened to do, that Which it ought to do now, but hesitates doing, because of the want of knowledge and the absence of conviction that the need for reform is as great as it is urgent. ' • * • At the same time "Truth" has a strong conviction that Ministers are deceiving themselves or have been deceived by the Minister for Public Health or his departmental officers as to the extent to which the military forces are affected by venereal disease. Referring to the number of men m camp reported, as, suffering from one or bther form of the disease, the Minister said: That venereal disease is rampant m this country may be proved by the following facts: During the six months ended April, 1916. eighty-eight soldiers were admitted to Featherston Camp and 191 soldiers to Trentham Camp suffering from gonorrhoea, a total of 279. During the same period three were admitted at Featherston and four at Trentham suffering from the more severe disease of syphilis. Other forms of venereal disease at Trentham accounted for six. other patients, making a total of ninety-one at Featherston and 201 at Trentham, a grand total for six months of 292. Of those treated at Trentham eleven were returned soldiers. A return recently furnished to me showed that at a certain quarantine station In one of our harbors there were then segregated ninety soldiers,'who, having caught venereal disease, mostly at the camps, had been segregated for treatment # there, and wore being held until they were cured of thla disease and could be returned wifely among the civilian population.

A ro theao figures correct and do they give a falr< idea of th.c extent to which the disease has laid Us slimy clutches upon the flower of our young manhood now training for the groat campaign? If so, "Truth" la more than gratified. It rejoices. For theso figures show that, despite the man£ temptations of camp life, our soldier lads have succeeded In keeping themselves freir from contamination with this dread destroyer of the bodlea of men and women, than their fellows following civil occupations have been able 10 do. The figures quoted from time to time at various medical congresses show that the average percentage of the adult population afflicted with venereal <llsea.se varies from eight por cent, to fifteen per cent, according to density of population. In counties and country towns the figure ua might be expected, are lowest, while* the larger Industrial districts provide th« maximum. Tho flgurea given by the Hon. Mr. Russell, Minister for Health, for both camps for six months, provide a grand total (if a total In mich a connection can be designated "grand") of 292. or lean than five per centum per annum for both tumps. Thla Ih a wonderful achievement, an>! reflects credlt.'not only on the modlvul start of tho two cam pi*, but »peul;s volumes for the boys themselves H shows that they look upon their profcMslon as aoldiers m ft most aerlous spirit and have determined to do nothing whereby they irmy tliemaelvea bo guilty of rendering either themselves or their companion?* let** Ut to do their duty to their King and country.

"Truth" »(linlt» that the njftircH quoted tiro almost incredible. When the Minister for Public Health »•»« nskod by ii repro*cntftllv<s of tnl« paper, for tin uuuurnnoo .'»•'« to iht-lr corrcctntrttt, ho merely replied: They are iho nKur«« »«PPIU'U to mo by tho o!llc<»rH m charge. I hnvo no roaßon to <loubi ih«ir nccurucy. What have the cuntinK* hypocrliloai. halo-hunUisfi hmnbiniei who huvo born hoUllriK oxir »oldl«r.s up t<> J»c»rn juml obUn u )* bfcnuKt» <>f th« dol»)k - ;s of j few VtliU'k tUn-vp m n;ty t.« lh«-MC Sit;urn»7 Do them? dKurt-j* prevp i!u« «?v<l of ttix o'clock doom? of hold- bans i« order to *avp our ycitinfj btjyrt front themselves? Do they prov»» Usn coituniionii ot th« blgotu-d Prohibitionlut

thul our boys hay«» b<>« n drl>ouch«Kt by win* and women'? "Truth" nwkon bold to rmy that In ju» tniStinry ntrnp on lh«* confines "f « tnrs? cHy the worUl uv«*r !»«*:« v rfCf'fU l'>r ffvrciom from vcn»*r»»tti <ii*i ( a*n? hvvtx put k»p such hh, r<n ihf nuihorJiy of Uic .Mln(jstrr for VubUe Health. («" New 55<in!an«J troop* In the Home camp* hnvt* shown. "Truth" ataiulca Uicrn!