The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1924 DANGER FROM THE EAST

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6439, 17 January 1924, Page 4

The Te Aroha News Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Mornings. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1924 DANGER FROM THE EAST

THE fact that last week one vessel was held up at a New Zealand port on account of a suspected case of smallpox, though not warranting anything in the nature of panic or even serious alarm,.is at least an indication of the need for the exercise of unceasing vigilance on the, part of the responsible authorities. Within the past few weeks three steamers . on their way from Eastern ports, to our neighbour, Australia, have been sent into quarantine, because they were carrying passengers who. suffered from smallpox. By the .quick and efficient action of the Commonwealth health authorities, the danger has been averted; but the frequency of these occurrances shows that Australia is running a grave risk from which this Dominion is by no means disassociated. The chief quarantine officer in Brisbane, Dr. Elkington, -who knows the East and its dangerous diseases, has stressed again the need for efficient medical examination of Eastern boats. It is not only a question of smallpox, which is easily recognicable,. and is a name of - such dread omen that it ,is invariably treated with the greatest care, but the numerous minor diseases to which the East is. more, especially heir. Apart from the danger which is incurred, there is the loss of time and the annoyance caused by sending a passenger vessel into quarantine. The reporting of three cases of smallpox in Australian, waters within a few weeks has given rise to the question as to whether the examination of outgoing passengers from Eastern ports is as strict as it might be. In view of the fact that smallpox is raging in Hong Kong and other Eastern cities this is a question in which New Zealand is interested equally with Australia, and our health authorities might do well to co-operate with the Commonwealth authorities in an endeavour to secure the strictest possible supervision at the point where it is most needed.