A REAL SCARE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVI, Issue 57, 12 July 1913, Page 5

A REAL SCARE.

UNDOUBTEDLY SMALLPOX.

IN THREE STATES

[By Electric Telegraph—Copyright]

[United Press (Association.]

Sydney, July 11. The smallpox patients so far have been drawn from thirty-six suburbs. The post office is disinfecting the mails. . . . n i iThe health authorities m Sydney disagree in the opinion attributed in tue cable to Dr. Valintine that if the New Zealand outbreak of smallpox was .rue, the Maoris would die like the:;. Doctor Patton, Director-General 01 Health, points out that a mild form of the disease, though clearly smallpox, widely affected the negroes of die southern United States without any severe developments, though the negroes are as ill fitted as the Maoris; to withstand it. Melbourne, July 11.

South Yarra residents are anxious regarding the sickness of a young girl which is declared officially to be enickenpdx, but tne sufferer lias been removed.

A special health officer has now been appointed to visit New Zealand. He will arrive from Sydney on Tuesday, obtain first-hand information or tne outbreak, and bring full details oi the Auckland sickness. Until then the Federal authorities are satisfied with holding up Auckland vessels arriving, at Sydney, and insisting on vaccination and surveillance of past.eis and crew. Sydney, July 11.

The Wimmera's crew were vaccinatjd on arrival. Her passengers for byduey were allowed to be vaccinated or'not, according to their own desire, but for other ports they were compelled to be vaccinated. , Nine fresh cases were reported today- ~.,'. The total in quarantine is I'/, including contacts.

VACCINATION GENERAL. PARENTS FINED FOR REFUSAL

(Received 9.30 a.m.) Sydney, July 12

The authorities tnink that one case at Penrith and another at Taree is smallpox. The general vaccination of school children in the infested area commences on Monday, I'iie vaccination of the police lias all been done and the railway and other public starts are proceeding. The Interstate railway traffic has decreased a full third. The seryiccs are running late through trie vaccui.l.loll or passengers. ~ A number ol persons in Victoria have been fined for refusing to allow their children to be vaccinated.

POSITION: IN NEW ZEALAND

U'ek Press Association.] Te Kuiti, July 11

Three cases • of chi'ckehpox nave ueen reported from Otorohanga. Dr. Zobel, acting on behalf ot tnu AieaicL: department, visited the tangi at Otoi'olianga and discovered a woman, a girl and a child suffering from tne disease, and isolated the patient-;. Contacts- are' numerous,' 'alia "applioaLions for vaccination are frequent, out the supply of lymph has not arrived. It is expected to-morrow. ■ : ' • " ' Wellington, J uly 11.

In the- House of Kepresentatives last night, the Minister for Public Health made, a statement ; regarding crte outbieak*'of smallpox. The Caomet had' met. and the whole matter nad been discussed. It uas lound tiiat cases of a suspicious character were being reported irom all parts oi the Auckland district; There was a definite case of smallpox reported rrom i'e Awamutu.. it had been necessary to make some restriction on natives travelling through, the shipping companies, and carrying companies, and the railway authorities had been warned not to carry natives from affected areas without authority rrom the health authorities. lie thougut it necessary to make these statement®, as there was no doubt that tne epidemic the same as that in Sydney. A case of chickenpox had been imported rrom Wellington. He had neard rumors of a case of smallpox in Wellington, but no case had been rej/vjiu'U. rile nad traced the introduction of the epidemic to a Mormon missionary, who had transferred it to the Maoris. Mr J. fi. Bradney asked for a stricter medical examination of ships arriving from the East. The Hon. E. H. .Rhodes said that he had not heard of any laxity in examination of ships from the East. Asked if he had insisted on the vaccination of passengers to the South from Wellington, Mr Rhodes replied in the negative. He was piepared, fo r the present, to leave 'the matter to the good sense of the people of the country. The natives were fairly seized of the importance of the matter, and were doing all possible to pi event the spread or the epidemic. The Hon. W. F. Massey said 'that while there was no occasion for a panic, thre was every necessity to stamp out the disease which ' had visited our shores. The natives were quite willing to submit to vaccination. It might be necessary for passengers from the South Island to submit to vaccination. He hoped that Members of the House and the peoule generally would support the Government in whatever they did. -Mr J. A. stated that vaccination did not prevent the spread of disease. The natives should not be allowed to travel from infected areas.

The Minister replied that every possible precaution was being taken, and the House could rely on everything being clone which was necessary in tin? public safety.