INFLUENZA.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16418, 11 January 1919, Page 10

INFLUENZA.

CARE OF WIDOWS AND ORPHANS. DEPUTATION TO SIR JAMES ALLEN. A deputation from the Canterbury Trades and "Labour Committee, introduced by Mr J. McCombs, M.l*, waited on Sir James Allen, Acting-Prime Minister, Yesterday aftoinoon on the ( subject of" financial provision for wo-, ' men and children deprived of their breadwinner owing to the rccent influenza epidemic. Mr McCombs said that the matter, was considered one of urgencj. it. had been announced that the Goi ernment intended making financial pi revision for epidemic widows and ' phans but tiiat was some weeks agcr, and so far nothing had " been done.' ! After quoting the rates of ponsions lor I widow's in New Zealand, Mr ' pointed out that in Queensland better provision was made, tho rate theie per week being 15s, and irom v_s to *0s per week for each child. Mr E. J. Howard, supporting ite urgencv of the matter, stated that, he knew of a widow (rendered so by the epidohiic) who had eight children and was expecting another: she did not ,have a penny piece to go on with. Ihe Government' intended doing something. and no doubt delay was occasioned by the difficulty of getting the nocessarv machinery in operation, but now was tho time that the pinch was being felt. As a city councillor lie had Urged from the start that a fund should have been provided to meet such cases. ITe cited an instance of a widow with two children who was receiving 30s per month—hardly enough, he said, to pay rent. Tho tragedy of the matter was that if both parents had died the State would have paid foster-parents 10s 6d per week in respect of each child. Mr D. G.. Sullivan also referred to the necesitv for urcency. and pointed out what appeared to him to be an anomaly—that the Magistrates fixed 10s per week as the amount of maintenance for an-illegitimate child. Ho also referred to the anomaly which precluded a widow's child born outside the Dominion from being considered in the financial allowance made. Sir James Allen, in replying, pointed out that immediate relief could not be granted by an-amendment of the i Widows Pensions Act, as it could bo' only amended by Parliament, and any j alteration of tho Act would have to be first discussed by Cabinet—it was a big question'of:policy as to how far the Act should be altered. Regarding the epidemic, what. the Government had decided was that the widows and their children should be under the care of the Minister of Public Health, and that orphan children should be wards of the State under the Minister of Education and be boarded out or otherwise provided for. The deputation had informed him that nothing had been done in respect of financial provision, but as he was not administering the Department concerned ho could not say whether or not that was so: •as soon as he got to Wellington he would make enquiries from the Hon.- G. W. Russell as to what had been done in respect of his part of the work: he understood that the Minister of Education had his .portion- of- the work -in hand. : . Mr McCombs said,that as, far as ho knew no provision had heen made -yet for applications for assistance being sent in. Sir James Allen: Has nothing been published regarding . application for assistance?. •Mr McCombs: No. . Sir James said that. he would enquire intp thiq. . Althoughthe. Government recognised ■, their duty in respect of. these widows and r? children, there; was ;went on .to sav,*why: the loeil authorities : giving "assistance.* He was not at air sure whether the matter of providing-assistance.was not more a concern of the local authorities than of the Government.- -If 3b' were made the concern of the Government 'thev. mieht place Government : iri - the.'posrtiQn hop *«hsfdisui|f tlio. dirtiest totois 'in .the' Dominion, - fend he should not think that that : was desirable. THE OUTBREAK AT SAMOA. EIGHT THOUSAND DIiA.THS ' ADMITTED.

Tho circumstances surrounding the introduction of the influenza. epidemic into Samoa are referred tojin a letter received by an Auckland resident from an American residing at Apia. "The Samoa. Times,'' he wrote, "admits that 8000 of our small -population have died, but my own-view, is that this is probably ,600 -too. .few. Many people insist that t£6 deaths exceed 9000.' We had pews of the .approach of the influenza about "a week* before it arrived. • The Talune came in with sickness raging on board, and of the passengers landed'two died within four days after arrival; and the illness was $uch. that word was sent ; ashore from the ship that the intending passengers were not-to come off until/ the .latest moment, as most of the were so ill that they couid not perform their duties. In face of this, the- Talune was granted pratique, and people, from Bhip and shore commingled' as they chose. Within four days the infection was on Savaii, and had spread all over the island. So many were sick and helpless at tbo same time thdt it did little use to distribute rice among the starving people, as they wore unable to cook and share it; Samoans died on the roads, on the beaches, and near water-holes, • where they went to bathe their fevered bodies." The/dis-. ease was kept out of Pago Pago, and no one here blames Governor Payer for keeping the boat from Apia from infringing liis regulations by imposing five days'isolation. Had this part of Samoa been similarly guarded we would have continued "a- 6afe and' prosperous community. Our native people are depressed and timorous. Tfao-thirds of their chiefs and mission teachers are gone', and a similar proportion of the nativo police. About two-thirds of the deaths were males. There were some children, though the latter were nearly immune. Harrowing scenes took place day after day, and the men of the New Zealand Forces, most of whom were immune, did wonderful work attending to the burials."