OUR QUARANTINE ISLAND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 146, 15 March 1919, Page 8

OUR QUARANTINE ISLAND

OUT OF DATE AND INADEQUATE n HEAVY EXPENDITURE ;; NECESSARY e (I >- Since the Germans went ajvay from >- Somus island, Wellington has had, liom- -- inally, a quarantine station in the harbour. But the truth is that the safe--0 guard has teen, and is, little more than 8 nominal. It is a long time since these quaraii- '• -tine stations were set up, and in the lf days when they were established they e were in doubt adequate lor the needs of P the country. But the i-equireents of e shipping to-day are i.o'_ as they were forty years ago, and the buildings 011 '' Somes island were built forty years ago. e To-ituv no station could considered adequate which would not accommodate 0 tho passengers and ship's company of a >' troopship or 'an emigrant steamer, 0 which moans that 110 quarantine station 5 at a large port could be considered use--1 tui unless it had space for at. least one ' thousand people. The utmost capacity * of the accommodation at Somes Island ~ at present is about three hundred men. The quarters that could be oflered " even to this number of people could not be considered good quarters. They J would bo utterly unsuitable if the people 11 were infected with such an epidemic of : virulent influenza us has lately . been 0 causing tho authorities anxiety. the * people would have to be hevded too close--0 ly for good precautions to be possible, 0 and there would be no sanitation nt all. 1 It has been announced that the Gove erument means to spend money on the 11 quarantino stations to make tliem use--1 fnl for the quarantining of a troopship. 0 At present Somes .Island could not accomp niodato under root's more than 350 at 3 most, and those not under infectious die sease conditions. Under 110 modern con--1 ditions could the space available be 1 used for buildings suitable to accommoP date large bodies of men. lor tents or ; military hutments,, by which means men ' ca'i be placed as thickly on the ground 1 as health regulations wilt allow, space , might be found for COD men 011 the tabletoo'of the rocky islet; and this arrangement wcitid leave little room for exercise 1 or recreation. The only amusements offerine on the island would be fishing or 1 swimming. Hecreation is important ' wli-i large bodies ot' people have lo be i held for an indefinite time. * There is 110 water supply available or in sight, for such a large body of men. There are no ablution conveniences, or 110 drainage arrangements for so many ; peopie. The site is unsuitable 111 other resi)j'.';s for a quarantine station. The present buildings are practically . useless for any purpose. They were perInps sufficient in accordance with the medical jtnd other requirements of forty ' vmcs a"0, but are quite unfitted tor tlio : needs o"f to-day. Also they are wormeaten and rotten. Hie forty-year-old walls nro lined with white pine, and the bo.'cv iu inntiv places has left only a honeycomb of the painted boards. Ihe borer has devoured at least halt of tlio raft>rs and .studs.' The floors are dirty. ' Perhaps the borer is in. possession there ' "'in every respect the station is out of 1 daee and quite inadequate. The Government will have to spend many thou--1 sands of pounds on the quarantine sta--1 tion before they can send peon eto Somes ; Island in any numbers. There is no li"liti:ig service, lor fonr yeais the Germans have used kerosene hurricanelamps. The best buildings there, and (ha only buildings worth saving lor a : station of tho future, are (hose built : since 1 tho war. There are two military hutments built for prisoners and guard, a hospital building, and a I.M.C.A. 111stit.Ke (quite small).