INFLUNZA.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16422, 16 January 1919, Page 6

INFLUNZA.

THE RELIEF SCHEME. DEFECTIVE MACHINERY. (S3ECXAL TO "TH* PRESS.") ? WELLINGTON, January 15. ' The relief of the influenza sufferers is causing the fclovoinment some uneasiness. The Minister, who has declared the policy of the Government (the Hon. G. .W. Russell) is out .of town resting, and it is understood that ho has. bcon asked to come back heie and get the relief scheme established. There is at present no proper machinery for the dispensation of rerier except that of the Charitable Ait. Boards. The Boards are becoming embarrassed by the work. It is scarcely fair to ask the Boards to dispense relief to ordinary distressed people on one scale, and to give it to epidemic sufferers on a much more liberal scale. The responsibility for deciding wlietner an applicant comes under one heading or tho other is now 011 the Boards,, and thev do not wish to carry on tins work. Also, the scale of relief is not considered to be satisfactory. Relien is provided for children who havo lost both parents and for childron who have , lost their father; there is relief for,' the widower who has to employ 0 housekeowr to look after his motherless children; but there is no personal, relief for n widow. A scale is provided for her and children, but apparontly th<? Minister intends thflt tbo widow should rocoive only ordinary charitable aid for her own maintenance. At anv rate, no scale is provided lor the widow in tho nuthority given to Charitable Aid Boards to expend money on account of the_ Government. Rome bettor machinery will have to be set ur. immediately to determine what the rights of claimants are. and wnut the amount to lie Driven by way of relief shall be in individual cases. MESSAGE FROAf SIR JAMES ALLEN. 011 Tuesday Mr J. McCombs, M.P., telegraphed to Sir James Allen urging him to communicate with tho Ministers responsible to expedite the muchneeded relief for victims of the influenza. epidemic. Yesterday Mr MeCoriibs received the following telegram from the Acting-Prime Minister: ' lu answer to your telegram ot tho 14tii inst. I have to inform you that the temporary arrangement is that the Hospital Boards have authority frorn the Minister of Publid Health to deal with cases of widows and widowers arid their children. The Education Department is dealing with orphans. I suggest that any widow or widower who is in need of assistance should mako application to a Hospital Board. 1". the case of orphans application should be made to the officer in charge of. the Educnfcinn Department Receiving Home. With regard to soldiers who died from the rocent epidemic, if their sickness was aggravated by their service at the front their dependants ape entitled to apply for a war pension. Applications should be made throufi' l t,Vip local Registrar of Pensions. —JAllon." TO THE EDITOR OF "THE TRESS."

Sir,—l was very glad to see in thU morning's copy ot your paper that attention had been drawn to the excellent work done by Dr. Grieg, Health Officor for the Coroniandel district. It so happened that I was staying j at the time at a small township, some J 30 or 40 miles away, where thei epi' \ dennc was allowed to spread. «JieiJ "or. Grieg heard of our plight, u sent ovor one of his assistants, who started a campaign against the scourge, sending us, in "addition supplies ot formalin, drugs, etc. . Through his orders, a notice was posted iu the post offices of the suirounding districts, stating that, anyone travelling to Coromandel without r- r °* during a medical certificate to tno effect that be bad been free from influenza for the seven days, was liable to a fine of £50. When you think that Coromandel was dependent unon Auckland for supplies, I think you will agrfee that Vr. Grie' r accomplished something, o» which the inhabitants of Coromandel should be justly proud. Mv point is this, what one man ma, another could do, and, if only we had had more people as alive to the ujgen need of isolation of towns at the commencement of the epidemic in Auckland, there would have been a very much lower death rate.—\ ours. «te., PRO BONO PUBLICO. January 14tli.