THE LATE EPIDEMIC

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 136, 4 March 1919, Page 8

THE LATE EPIDEMIC

.—4 YESTERDAY'S SITTING OF THE COMMISSION EVIDENCE REGARDING OVERCROWDING By Telegraph-Press Association Auckland, March 3. Before the Epidemic Commission, Dr. T. J. F. Hughes, recalled, put in further evidence regarding tho prevalence of influenza in the various districts prior to tho arrival of the Niagara. There was no evidence that the spread oijjie disease was due to passengers from tho Niagara. Some of the mailmen who went on board did not contract the disease, while in tho case of thoso who became ill tho onset of the disease was not until several days alter tho arrival of tho ship. There was no doubt that influenza wa3 very prevalent in Auckland for some time before tho arrival of the .Niagara, and that cases were quickly increasing both 111 numbers and severity. During September and the beginning of October many cases had occurred in Auckland similar to the cases on the Niagara, and chest complications were reported in a certain number of 'cases. Cold and wet weather always tended to increase the- severity of influenza attacks, and to predispose to pneumonic complications. During October these wet and cold conditions existed in Auckland, there being B.CB inches of rain for the month. He was of opinion that' the disease was in New Zealand before the arrival of the Niagara, that the epidemic would have occurred apart from the Niagara, and that the ship's arrival probably aggravated the epidemic, although there was not direct evidence to, prove this apart from the cases of sickness which occurred among the hospital nurses engaged in nursing patients from the Niagara. The influenza on the Niagara was not of the highly-infectious tvne experienced in November. 'Eeplving to a question, Dr. Hughes said instances had occurred where in the administration of his work his instructions to the local authorities had only been carried out after considerable delay. On the other hand he mentioned a case where a local'authority had asked him to condemn fouivhouses. After inspection, however, he decided that he could only condemn one. H. D. Heather, chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, said the board had received instructions from the Health Department with reference to the admission of overseas ships to the harbour. Up to the time of the epidemic tho harbourmaster would bring-a vessel into harbour to await the visit of the medical officer. At times vessels were brought alongsido I'iefore they were boarded. When Dr. Valintine arrived in Auckland during tho epidemic vessels were ordered to wait off North Head instead of in Iho stream. The Iward received wireless information that influenza was m board the Niagara, and the harbourmaster asked tho Health Department a number of times whether he should allow tho vessel to come alongside. When tho vessel came in she was allowed to berth according to instructions from the Department. It had been stated that the board had power to remove a vessel, but this was not so. The board had no power to remove a vessel except in such an event as an outbreak of fire.

C.-T. Hayncs, chief sanitary inspector, gave further evidenco regarding the inspection of houses. He mentioned an apartment house in regard to which evidence had been given by another witness. The house consisted of 15 rooms and five kitchenettes, occunied by ten adults and ten children. Reports from inspectors showed that the premises were kept clean, -and complied in every respect with the city by-laws. In order to obtain an rsttmato of the number of the poorer class of houses which might be considered overcrowded he had had an analysis niado of 225 such houses, taking into consideration the. size of the rooms and tho number.of occupants. was of opinion that overcrowding did occur in 5 per cent. He pointed out that the cubic air space in sonic of the houses mentioned wag not insufficient, according to the model by-laws of the English Local Government. Hoard, and that jin standard for this had been fixed in New Zoaland.