ISLAND OF MAKOGAI.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19532, 15 July 1925, Page 9

ISLAND OF MAKOGAI.

NEW LEPEE. STATION. TRANSPORTATION OF PATIENTS. (Pm United Pbess Association.) WELLINGTON, July 14. When the Government steamer Hinemoa completes her present trip to the Islands she will return to Wellington for refitting, and early next month she will transport the lepers from Quail Island station in Lyttelton Harbour to the leper station of Makogai Island, lying 18 miles north-east of Levukn, the old capital of Fiji. Four Maoris, two Chinamen, and three Europeans, all males, will go from New Zealand with the present staff. Dr T. J. Hughes, district medical officer at Auckland, will accompany the party in a supervising capacity. Special accommodation is to bo constructed at the after end of tho Hinemoa, and this will be left at tho leper station when the patients have been landed. It is stated that with ordinary precautions there is absolutely no risk involved to the personnel of the Hinemoa. Tho vessel will also transport 10 lepers from Samoa. There are five leper villages at Makogai, containing 351 patients, who have an active, open-air existence, and are treated for the disease in various ways. The administration of chaulmoogra oil has a marked bene, ficial effect on nearly all stages of leprosy. Surgical treatment is also important. In view of the opportunity afforded by the Hinemoa’s visit of forwarding comforts to these isolated people, the Under-Secre-tary of the Cook Islands Department makes an appeal for books and magazines to bo sent to his office in the first week in August. The main island of Makogai has an area of about 2000 acres, and is about two miles and a-half long and a mile and a-half wide. It is surrounded by coral reefs, and is a rockv cone with ■ four distinct and many smaller peaks, the highest of which rises to 876 feet above sea lev-el. The sides of the gullies which run down to the water’s edge are steep, extremelv rocky, and clothed with jungle. The adjoining island of Makodraca is a rocky, j uncle, covered islet. The climate is agreeable, for the temperature varies very little, and is never below, 70deg in tho shade.