BACK FROM THE WAR

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 72, 19 December 1918, Page 5

BACK FROM THE WAR

—___~ . TROOPS LAND THIS AFTERNOON. When tho troopship with returning draft No. 200 came into Wellington Harbour yesterday afternoon it flew the fellow flag, indicating the presence on board of infectious disease. There are nearly 800 men on board from various hospitals in England, and also a few who return on duty furlough. The Baso Records staff ■went out to the ship to carry out the demobilisation process, but owing to the fact that about a dozen of the soldiers were suffering from infectious disease, including cases of influenza, mumps, and one of malaria, the ship was placed in quarantine by the Public Health Department. The Defence officials kept in touch with the health officers so as to take up their work of discharging the non-infected men as soon as possible, and it was arranged that if the patients could be isolated and contact? dealt with, thnt the Base Records staff would go out' in tho evening and work all night to enable tho men for distant parts to catch the morning trains. This could not be done,'but as there was a possibility of qyarantine being lifted in tho morning, it was decided to have the staff ready for work oii the ship at 7 a.m. Probably this would permit of the vessel berthing durin» this afternoon. This delay was quite unexpected, as a few days ago a wireless message from the ship stated there was no infectious diseases aboard. Subsequent advico states that the Mpdieal Board ivill be proceeded with at 7 o'clock this morning, the vessel having been declared a "clean nhip." The troopship will probably berth at 2 p.m.