BERTHING OF VESSELS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22479, 25 January 1935, Page 7

BERTHING OF VESSELS

HEALTH AUTHORITIES’ PRECAUTIONS FACILITIES FOR OFFICIAL •VISITORS. (Per United Press Association) RUSSELL, January 24. The recent arrangement for the acceptance by the Port Health Authorities of the declaration of ships’ doctors on vessels arriving from overseas, and intercolonial ports as to the health of the passengers and the crew, while having its advantages in reducing to n minimum the possibilities of delay in the berthing of vessels arriving at New Zealand ports, has caused considerable inconvenience in that it prevents the boarding of incoming ships by representatives of the Police, Tourists and Immigration Departmentments and the press who are not permitted on board the ships until they have berthed. Representations have been made to the Minister of Health, Sir J. A. Young, that permission should be given to those desiring to board the vessels for official purposes to do so in the stream as is done by the Customs officers. The Minister has approved of the request that the representatives in question be permitted on board the ships while proceeding to their berths on the conditions that the vessels to be berthed shall have been declared as clean, and further that the official representatives concerned shall not be permitted to leave any such vessel until the port health officer has boarded her at her berth and granted pratique. This means that should it be found that there is infectious disease on ship those officers would be liable to be quarantined along with the passengers and crew. On these conditions the Minister has instructed the Director-general of Health to notify the port health officers to act accordingly.