INFLUENZA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 43, 15 November 1918, Page 6

INFLUENZA

Epidemic still raging ! l i .

!... MINISTER SAYS POSITION IS

IMPROVING

JRGENT APPEALS FOR HELP

S DRASTIC RESTRICTIONS

I GOOD WORK BY VIGILANCE i ■~ COMMITTEES

! That the epidemic is on tho point of aking a turn, for tho better is the viow ield in official circles. In conversation ,-ith a Dominion representative last light, the Minister of Public Health iHon. G. W. Eussell) stated that the pinions which he had,received from all (arts of the Dominion yesterday indicatd that there was a perceptible iniprovenent. ''My own opinion is, added the Jinister, "that given fine weather. and he-application, of the preventive niea■uires that are now being taken every-i-here the epidemic will not be of long iurati'ori, and will not.be so serious as i-as at one time anticipated. Up to the iresent nothing had come before him howing that there was any shortage ol Irugs in the Dominion. The Minister said that instructions iad been sout out to the health omcers if the Dominion to order tiie wosing tntil further notice of all hotel baa's at , pm. daily in all boroughs end town listricts, and within a radius of three nilea of their boundaries. In coming to ihis decision he did not desire to place ho Dominion under couiplete Prohibilion but'wanted to-secure the closing ot '■he hotel bars during the two most dan•erons hours of the day, when men, ifter having left their work, would posiibly drink to an unnecessary extent, inns'minimising their chances of recovery if they contracted the malady, and 'iossibly be instrumental in spreading the tpidemic. The same rule would apply to, •hartere'd club bars, and of courtw to Belamy's. The restriction as to closing •he bars in boroughs and town districts vould 'obviate the closing of accommoda;ion houses and hotels situated m scal'ered country areas, where ihere was not ■ikelv to be such congestion as in the more populous centres. If by experience !t was found that, this measure did not Secure the necessary care of the heami )f .the people, more drastic measures jfouild be taken. I i a , corollary to the closing if -hotel bars, all • marble bars, Refreshment rooms, and tea rooms would 'oe permitted to' be open only between iheWs of 7 and 9 a.m., 12 noon to 2 p.m., and 5 to 7 p.m., in -.rder that meals might be obtained!'and that any jor.eestion at afternoon tea gatherings vnd evening functions might be stopped.

I , 'Barbers' , Shops to be Closed. {.All public meetings, except for health purposes, and discussion of methods ot sr'anisation to combat the trouble, would be° stopped. No church services were to be held on any day, Sundays included, iifter the hour of 5 p.m., consequently evening services and Sunday night meetings would cea.se for the present. All Sunday schools, day schools, high schools, college's, and university colleges are to be' closed until further notice, and all barbers' and hairdressers' shops were to slose absolutely. These limitations on the' movements and life of the people would operate until further notice was given, and were not intended to cover nny fixed period. "I hope that the' epidemic will soon subside," continued Mr. Russell, "and-.thatnoriual conditions may then be resumed, but at present the object is to shut down on every possible avenue bv which the discos? can be extended. From information that has come before me there is no doubt- that the closing |of 'barosrs' ami hairdressers shop? is absolutely necessary." :' Railway Department to A«ist. Mr. Russell stated that be had received a reply from the Minister of lfejilwnys (Hoii." W. H. 'Hemes) to the effect that ,the Railway Department was prepared 'to assist in every way , in connection with the provision of inhalation chambers, and ae a consequence application had been made for the establishment of chambers on the two northern Main Trunk express trains,-the , Auckland-Rotorua express, the Wellington-Napier and Wel-lington-New Plymouth trains, also on 'the southern express between Invercargill and Lyttelton. •'One of the difficulties we have 'been experiencing,' conitinued the Minister, "is that of manufacturing in sufficiently ' large numbers : tne equipment loi the cluimbers. AppHcations have been received from all over !the Dominion for. the establishment of jinnalation chambers, and a week ago_4fl '.were ordered, ii number more having ilieen added since. I have now rcnuested [the co-operation of th° Bailwav Depnrtjnent for the manufnehire of tlie r.ec»--'sary equipment in its workshops-. pH 'ron'sent ha.= been piven. It is howl, ithprefore, thnt in the conrfp of a few ;<tavs a consi<lf>n>% increased number jwill be available." ! Statement by Sir James AIN. j "Matters have very much improved jjn the camps," said the Minister of DfI fence last night. . "Surgeon-General I Henderson, Director-General of Hedicnl .Services, has visited Featherstoi , , and lie | reports that everybody there, from offi'cer commanding to orderly, is working i splendidly. There is still a large num■lier of serious cases in I'eatherston, but ! J hope that an improvement will be v shown soon in this respect. The number of men onsick parade and the num-tber-pf admissions to imspital are <le- • creasing. : ■ .