THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1907. THE WHITE PLAGUE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8997, 6 December 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1907. THE WHITE PLAGUE.

The precautions taken by the health authorities of New Zealand to prevent the admission of consumptives to the dominion appear to be far from perfect. We understand that passengers to this country are supposed to undergo a medical examination before leaving England or the Australian States, and a further examination is provided for byfehe health authorities of the dominion before passengers are permitted to land. Yet consumptives from abroad are continually reaching our shores, and some of them rake up space in our sanitaria to the exclusion of our own people. We iearn that three passen - gers ~ two third-class and one second saloon-who arrived in Wellington by t l ~<e lonic from London on Wednesday are suspected of being consumptives, and are being subjected to further medical i examination by the District Health Officer and the Port Health Officer. A fortnight ago two consumptives who arrived by the Tongariro from Eng'and are now reported to bo seriously ill. One has been permitted to be taken to the Wellington Hospital, and one has just been transferred from the vessel to the Christchurch Ilospital. On Wednesday morning a passenger who arrived from Sydney by the Marama was found tobe suffering from tubercular disease, and is to be sent back to Australia to-morrow. Why the

Tongariro consumptives were not sent back is not stated. It may be that they were too ilKto utic(prgo;*he return voyage. In that case humanity demanded' that they should remain in the dominion. But this points to the imperfect nature of the medical supervision at • the British and colonial ports of shipment, and it is obvious that if we are to keep out consumptives from abroad some better system of inspection is essential. The system in the dominion is also susceptible qf much improvement. Suprepson of the white plague is a matter upon which the dominion authorities cannot afford to be lax.