AMERICAN TOURISTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21199, 3 December 1930, Page 10

AMERICAN TOURISTS.

INSPECTION BY HEALTH AUTHORITIES. WORK DONE EXPEDITIOUSLY. (Special to Daily Times.) WELLINGTON, December 2. The allegation by an officer of the American tourist ship Malolo that valuable time which passengers might have spent ashore at Wellington was wasted through the unduly long inspection of the port health authorities is strongly denied by the Health Department. It is pointed out that everything possible was done to carry out the inspection in quick time, with the result that the boat was cleared within half an hour of being boarded. It is not unusual for over an hour to be spent in inspections on other boats, and the opinion is expressed that the passengers and officers on the Malolo have no cause for complaint. Interviewed on arrival at Auckland, onicers on the Malolo complained that although the vessel arrived at Wellington from Sydney at 2.45 p.m. on Friday the passengers, who were ready and anxiously waiting to go ashore, had to pace the decks and watch the daylight fade before *P e y were able to land. It was contended that the inspection of the port health authorities had been unnecessarily pro* tracted and that it was entirely unnecessa,ry,ln v ',ew of the nature of the vessel, winch could not be classed as an ordinary arrival from overseas or an immigrant ship It was stated that the health of the passengers was assured from the start and that special provision should have been made to relax the regulations in such a case.

A different complexion is put on the case by the Health Department, which Has been subjected to unwarranted aepersions. Every effort was made to inspect the ship as quickly as possible without sacrificing any. measure of safety The vessel did not arrive at 2.45 p.m., as stated. It did not drop anchor until 3.35 p.m., as shown by the official port re- ?° r an £ as . is borne out by the port health authorities. In order to facilitate the inspection the port health officer was accompanied into the stream in the Janie Leddon by a second medical officer of health, which is regarded as an unusual concession. After the Malolo had dropped , w . as (°und that the boarding ladder had been overlooked, and it was not until 3 45 that the health officials werl a °l e one took the c^w i* th *w er tbe i P assen Kers, with the result that within half an hour their work had been completed, and they were complimented by the master of the ship. Captain Berndston, for the quick manner in which the inspection had been carried out. The two doctors did not fi hu^ y ’ ant J m spite of the fact ® tated in Auckla nd that the health of the passengers was “ assured from the start, the discovery of a certain vicious disease among certain of the passengers and members of the crew Was made by the inspecting officials. As a result the persons affected were not allowed to land. It was pointed out to the captain of the Malolo at the time that the inspection of the vessel at Wellington would not necessitate further inspections at other New Zealand ports touched. The result was that the Malolo was able to enter Auckland without the formality of a doctor s _ inspection, which would not be waived in any of. the Australian States.