COLLECTION OF RETURNS.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 14961, 8 January 1919, Page 7

COLLECTION OF RETURNS.

WeHington, Jan. 7. In a statement to-day. Dr. Valintine, Inspector-General of the Health Department, said that valuable information was expected from returns which are to \ come in concerning the influenza epide-! mic. J

The following are extracts from a letter received from an ex-Greymouth resident who is now residing in Buva:— "We have been gieatiy^interested in the file of papers that reached us this morning from you, containing reports of the ravages of that felt complaint influenza, and regret to find that some people well known to us both Lave succumbed to the epidemic. We have been hard hit here also, worse by far than you. in New Zealand,- owing to the fact that we have such a large Black population. The disease has been had all over the Pacific. It is remarkable that in some cases it is far worse than in others; some patients got through with; ;i minimum, others have a hard fight, and others go tinder after a hard •struggle. Some typos ar? of a most virulent nature indeed, and when pneumonia supervenes there seems aoor hopes of saving their lives. The Encounter came down to Samoa from Sydney with doctors and attendants, calling at Suva en route/ana the Fantome lias also been round some of the islands rendering aid. You can understand how the 3iseaso ran when it got among the native population. They are so helpiess, and further, not at all inclined to assist one another 5 in fact, some strenuous measures had to be adopted to compel them to help themselves."