THE PLAGUE IN SYDNEY.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 21, 19 July 1900, Page 1

THE PLAGUE IN SYDNEY.

The plague in the chief city o! the Mother Colony seemg 7 now to be abating. The Sydney Corporation have been vigilant in their efforts to suppress the disease, and their operations have been ably supported by the Government of New South Wales. The following figures give some idea of the extent of the work performed :—: — 52,033 tons of silt and sewage had been dredged from the front of the wharyes. 28,455 tons of garbage have been taken out to sea. 25,430 tona^ of garbage havo been burned. - 3,808 premises have been inspected and cleansed. These are exclusive of wharves and stores connected with them, 17,000 rats have been destroyed by theSworkmen, and not paid for. 27,548 rats have been destroyed at the depot and paid for. 1,423 dead animals have been taken from the harbour and burned. The cost of the work up to Jun9 11 is given as follows :—: — Total cost, £63,935 9s 6d. Work at wharves which can be regarded as reproductive, and including ferries, £13,000. Rat bonuses, £1,402 Is 85. Bedding supplied (to replace that destroyed), £102 13s 4d. Actual cost of cleansing operations, including providoring, £49,430 11s lOd. The scale of wages paid during time of panic wag as follows :—: — Chief superintendent, £2 per day. Five superintendents, each £1 5a per day. Inspectors, eaoh £1 per day. The work of rat extermination is not to be relaxed for some time. Indeed, some persons in Sydney seem to think that they ought to keep it up as a permanent institution, seeing that so long as plague is abroad in the world a great seaport like Sydney might have a diseased rat landed at any time. It is worlh noticing that since the Corporation and Government began to saWrtise r*'» ea cbing 3,500 weeo brought in when the rewa'-J was 2d a head, and 16,000 ah 6d a head. It is also no ing that out of eleven Chinaroea who have contracted the di t^n have died. At the same I'tne the disease has not been ram pars fc aoiongst the emigrants from the Flowery Lacd. The Government have si ill been quarantining various gee«.iou3 of the eily quite apart from the wharves, and superabundant necessity has been found foe this vigorous treatment. Whether they ■will have any little bill sent in fo»« damage done is a question over which certain lawyers arepondering". Meanwh 4 le the Government have been approached by certain persons whose premises have been rendered untenablo, and who^e business has bean destroyed, although no disease was traceable to tlreir abodes. Sir William Ljne, white disowning all responsibility, is doing whatever is possible to meet the reasonable demands of the people seriously affected. *