THE INSANATORY STATE OF WELLINGTON.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 8764, 28 April 1890, Page 2

THE INSANATORY STATE OF WELLINGTON.

DANGEROUS STATE OF THE CITY.

LETTER FROM A RESIDENT.

THE POST MIS-STATING AFFAIRS. A HI2SIDENT in Wellington lias forwarded to us the following extract from tho Evening Post in reply to some remarks we made when advising tho authorities to do something to purify their city ; also a letter which we publish below bearing us out in our remarks: — [From the Evening Po«/,Tliursd ay , April 24.] VILLAINOUS MISREPRESENTATION. Wellington does not look kindly on Tnranaki's persistent efforts to throw the cost of the New Plymouth breakwater on the colony, and by way of reprisal the New Plymouth papers eagerly seize every opportunity of maligning Wellington. The very slightest substratum of truth enables these ingenious slanderers to erect an edifice of untruth oil the most portentous proportions. In the colony, where this unenviable characteristic of the local papers is pretty generally understood, the outpourings of venom towards Wellington probably do little harm. Nobody believes them. Abroad, however, where the character and motive of the accusers are not understood, their statements may possibly pass for gospel and be productive of injury. It is sometimes therefore necessary to notice the offenders of whom the Taranaki Hkkald is the principal and worst. In its issue of the 18th there appears something intended to pass for a leading article, which is full of tho most atrocious untruths with regard to the sanitary condition of this city. It has been well said that "A lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outiight ; But a lie that is partly the truth is a more difficult matter to fight." The best way of dealing with such misrepresentation is to be perfectly candid with regard to what is true, so as to enable the public to judge of tho extent to which falsehood is eugrafted. We will first of all give the Herald's statement in full. It runs as follows :—: — "'The Wellington doctors,' says a visitor to Wanganui, ' have their hands full just now, sickness of all kinds being unusually prevalent in the Empire City.' We fear it is more than mere 'sickness' the doctors have to deal with, for typhoid fever and other contagious diseases are prevalent, and deaths from such causes are very numerous there. Visitors to Wellington generally recount on their return the uncomfortable feelings they have experienced after a few days' stay in that city, and only yet relieved by leaving the place ; generally doing so quicker than they intended. 'La grippe ' has got a lirtu hold in Wellington, and that, with several kinds of contagious fevers, renders the place a dangerous one to go to. If tho authorities do not do something to find out the sources from which these diseases arise, and stop them, Wellington will have a plague in it, as sure as London did a few centuries ago. The smells in that city of a night are something awful ; and the water must be bad, for strangers are warned not to drink any without they are sure it has been boiled. If some change does not take place for the bettor, Wellington will have to be isolated till it becomes purified, for at present it is the centre for distributing about the colony some of the most dangerously fatal diseases." Now, it is a fact that there is a good deal of sickness prevalent in tho city at present, and it includes a certain amount of typhoid, and a considerable amount of influenza or la grippe, but it is utterly untrue that the death rale is increased to any abnormal or alarming extent. Tho diseases prevalent arc generally of a very mild type, and are easily accounted for by the long continued drought, followed by such a complete change of weather. La grippe has not been either so common or so severe in Wellington as it appears to have been in Dunedin, and to be ill Christchiirch at the present time. "\^e have not heard of a single case terminating fatally. As to typhoid fever, it is an unfortunate fact that it exists all the year round in most of our centres of population, but there is no alarming or exceptional development of it here at the present time. If all be true that is telegraphed, wo are in respect to fever of all kinds very much better off than Auckland. As to visitors feeling that their only safety is in flight, several kinds of contagious fevers rendering Wellington a dangerous place to visit, and Wellington being threatened with a plague, we can only say that the author of such statements has drawn on a disordered imagination for his facts, and is evidently suffering from a severe attack of dementia. If his complaint is contagious, New Plymouth must be an infinitely more dangerous place of residence than Wellington ever has been, or is now. Utterly false, also, is the statement as to the nature of the water supply, and the " awful smells " are all evidently symptoms of the disease from which our contemporary is suffering. The suggestion about Wellington being isolated, is as utterly ridiculous as the statement that the city is a centre from whence are distributed most dangerously fatal diseases, is a wilful and mendacious falsehood. Wellington possesses no "most dangerously fatal diseases," and cannot therefore disseminate them. Even la grippe came to us from the South. We cannot lay claim 1o any originality in the matter of disease ; and if it be true — which we doubt — that spotted typhus has made its appearance elsewhere, we have at once to admit our inferiority, and thank heaven that we occupy a back seat. We have no doubt that when the Taranaki Herald recovers from its present acute attack, it will feel heartily ashamed of the libellous ravings it has given utterance to in its delirium. Our contemporary had better come to Wellington for prompt medical treatment, or else a permanent residence hero in the Mount View Asylum may become necessary. His delusions may become dangerous. Wellington, 25th April, 1890. Sin, — I have no doubt you have seen the enclosed extract from the Evening Post of yesterday. My reason for writing you is simply to say that every word published in your paper in reference to the matter is perfectly true ; in fact, you have not made out things so bad as they really are. The Post say in their article that it is a fact sickness exists, but it is attributable to the long drought wo have just passed through. That statement " won't wash,"' for the several cases of fevers existed before actually the so-called drought set in. As regards the smells, you have only to walk along Manners or Willis-streets on a still, hot day, and it is nearly enough to " knock you clown." They allow the horse droppings and such matter to remain in the streets until it is blown away, and all the odours have evaporated. If you walk along the breastwork of the harbour you. are upset by the disgusting sights you meet with in the shape of "human excrement" floating about, caused by tho 6ewers emptying themselves aj various iistances. If anyone fancies a drive, there is only two ways to go, either to' the Hutt or around what is called the Rocks ; if you decide on tho former, you are almost stifled with smells coming from slaughter yards or boiling down establishments which stand adjacent to the road ; and if you choose the other route, you meet with dead cats, dogs, fish, and filth of all kinds wssliod ujj, tho scoot from which you can oasily imagine, and on ouo or two oQuutijonti tho bodjeg of thrul elslklwu l»vi

I can assure you that what I have stated will be fully borne out by anyone who speaks truthfully of the place. I can assure you that when anyone has occasion to go along the Hutt Road by the train, that people close all the windows and doors of the train to keep out the smell from the slaughter houses they pass. It is a fact that Sir William Jcrvois stated at the farewell dinner given to him (above all places) that "if you went for a drive you had to keep one hand on your hat and the other on your nose.' — I am, &c,