The Thames Star TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1919. SAMOA

Thames Star, Volume LII, Issue 13968, 19 August 1919, Page 2

The Thames Star

TUESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1919. SAMOA

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The raport oif the Saiiiioain' Epideamo Comsmiifiisiioini does moibshed lustre om the adminisitTJufcion. oi New Zeialandfs laitest Paiciific possessiciu, n-or will it tend to increaee our prestige abroad Whole the eptideanioi was sweepimtg 4ihirtoiuigh New 2fealamd J notfc the leas* indiidaitiioß of the damper was semib. to the S&imioiain; Groujpi, although Ne^v Zieialiaind soidiers w«r© there, all. imprdpaired. and ai wtiireless plant, made cooamniuniciaftion, easy. As a, resiuJlb of ithii's the authorities.- isn. Saanoiai wetr 1; tottallT unp'repaired to meet anything so entirely niew M* Isjiiend experience' as the ipaneuimioiniici imflueinza, etpideimnc Forewaa-ncd would haye . been- foreairmied ia this oasei, but, the •people .• dF v S'airmoia. '/were Toft in emttlire ignioiraincie! of a. danger AvMcihi miig'ht haive 1 bean, expecftied rfeacih the Jstaiads. The onignnal blunder thiisi lay with tihr Min^steif <rf ! Hetalth oo 4 <the Mnwi&teir of Defcaic© hi New Zcolaind and oncie enitary oi the disease was made possible, it found a very fruiitfuil soil in Saimm. The cilimiaittei of Saimoai with.-Uig excessively moisti hea,tl Ist probaibly mora enwviait'img tihlara antjr im tihiei Pacific. Naitiure hiatg paovtided &Mi tha,t diR -neceßisia^ ,fo sustain life, m that betiwe?tni tihiis amd: tQue dimaltie, the Natives wall J niot work. They airei iaoking mi energy and when tto jpntefumiiOiDiic jibfluiemKa niiade irtis riipipcairflmce, they would dot .TW^lbiwig at all to help .thiemsielyefii oir their friends. As a cons^quieinoe ol

thiis the death roll, which is, sitiaitfed to. have reached 8,500', was far heaiviei than it would haiv© bdcn aimoingisii almostl any o^ar peoplei. Thei sov-eiriby oif the TtLsitartaomi miay best, be judged by oainpaaisons. If New Zealand had lost as many peirsiansi in piropoirtiiotti' tihroiugib, the) epodemdci, the Boaniuiioai.'s dleiaith-roll would have over'-toiprped 200,000. RemmniniaftiioDiis amd aibusfe will not restore (tlbe. dead amd will seirvtei no msieful p<uirpto&9, but the lesskwi of the aatelgedy must be driven hotme. New ZetaiLaawl ha« acoepited resipomsibiliiiies iml .the;' Padifici • she has itiakeni chaibgiei of th© destinies of many humeim beings and : ooxr .Gov^ttnenii miusitj ifetaiDisie their solemn obKg!attiibn>s jfco, oaire for the heaJilh of those pomimifcted itw thaii" ohairge>. This sens© of responisibiliity hiasi ciletariy beea laakiimg im ftihei pasifi, but it must be developed aft opae on 5 we, ajs ai people, will haive (piraved oairfeieilves/ tioibaily tun-firb to conltroil any Isilalnd ioi the Pacific.