INFANTILE PARALYSIS

NZ Truth, 7 February 1925, Page 3

INFANTILE PARALYSIS

Health Order Disobeyed

Magistrate's Plain Warning

(From "Truth's" Taranaki Rep.)

A warning that if any cases of a similar nature were brought before him m the future he. would consider.it his duty to inflict a. heavy penalty was given by Mr. J. S. Barton, S.M., m the Hawera Court last week.

The Magistrate was speaking with reference to a charge which had bean brought against a girl under the age of sixteen for having violated the Health Department's restrictions on the attendance of children at places of public entertainment during the currency of the epidemic of infantile paralysis. ■ ■ » . ■

, The ; charge was brought by the Hawera Borough Council which m doing so showed commendable backbone m thus dealing with people who will not look* after themselves during a period of grave national risk. <

Mr. J. Houston, who appeared for the Council, said that all modern communities looked upon matters of health as of vital importance to the people. In the Health Act abundant protections were given arid to the local bodies j the administration ' of the Act was' delegated. According to the recent proclamation of the Health Department, anyone breaking the regulations was liable to a fine of £50 and it was provided that if the offence continued there was a' penalty of £50 for each day of its continuance.

The majority of the people were obeying the proclamation, Mr. Houston added, but there wetlja* some who were not. Failure to observe the order was disloyalty to the community while there, were fresh notifications* of the disease throughout the Dominion. Hawera was absolutely free of the disease and the Borough Council was determined to keep it so. That night a circus would be visiting the town and he wanted the Magistrate to make it clear that the - attendance of children at the circus was absolutely prohibited, for a circus was a most dangerous place when any questions of health were at stake.

In the case before the Court Mr. Houston said he did not ask for a heavy penalty, but he wanted the Court to demonstrate to the people that the regulations must be obeyed. In future cases informations would be laid' against the parents of offending children, and heavy penalties would be asked for.

Having- g-iven the warning mentioned, the Magistrate said he would convict and discharge the present defendant. The experts, he said, did hot pretend to know all about the disease, but they did know that one of the preventives of infection was the prevention of ' congregations of people. It was the least parents could do to see that the regulations were obeyed. In his home town the fear of the epidemic was a nightmare. The question arises, when are other local authorities going to follow the lead of Hawera and prevent the senseless from being a menace not only to themselves but .to the more; careful sections of the community? On every hand one can see evidences of what, if they are : not wilful defiance of the common-sense restrictions, are at the least cases of criminal neglect.