BREACH OF QUARANTINE?

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2786, 2 June 1916, Page 7

BREACH OF QUARANTINE?

; A WILLOCHRA CASE. . A further question relating to alleged breaches of the quarantine regulations in connection with tho transport y l .'- lochra was put to the Minister of Public Health yesterday by Mr. C. H. Poole. He said that ho had received a telegram from Mr. W. Belcher stating that the Minister, in his previous reply, was not correct in stating that there had been no differentiation as between the officers and crew of the steamer. • ' • The Hon. G. W. Russcfl stated that tlio matter had been' inquired into, and it had been shown-that a great ileal of responsibility attached to thd cluet engineel' of the Willochra, and it was only because the Department desired to prevent an important change iii tho position of chief engineer of tho vessel on the eve of her departure that that officer had not been dealt with under the law. It was this oilicer who had broken tho quarantine, and ho had also advised a junioi' officer to.do the same. Tho matter was in tho htfnds of the Department, and no doubt when the vessel returned suitable me.tfmres would bo taKon to deal with the man according to law. lho Only other case in which anyone had been allowed to leiivo the Willochra wus that of ono of tho men who was permitted to como to Wellington 111 to see his sister, who was dying. Ims man, however, was only' alltiwed to leave tho ship on careful examination, showing that,ho had been successfully vacinnated. Otherwise, tho quarantine regulations had been carried out strictly, without any differentiation.