SOUTH AFRICAN CONTINGENTS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 16 August 1901, Page 3

SOUTH AFRICAN CONTINGENTS.

Extraordinary Charge of Mismanagement.

[Cue Parliamentary Reporter].

Wellington, This Day,

At the dinner recently given to the returned troopers in Bellamy’s, one of them is said to have “let the cat out of the bag” with regard to the sickness among the Fifth Contingent in their Beira march. The malarial character of the country created not only many cases of enteric fever, but also generated measles. When the contingent embarked on board the Britannic, that ship had just brought reliefs for an Imperial Regiment and immediately afterwards there was a serious outbreak of measles. The blankets which had been used by the Imperial troops had not been washed, and were served out to the members of Colonial Contingents—mainly A ustralians—with the result that out of a total of 750 men 83 were prostrated on the voyage with measles. These facts having come under the notice of the Hon H. Feldwick, he has tabled in the Legislative Council notice of the following motion for Tuesday next That in the opinion of the council it is desirable that steps be taken to prevent the spread of malarial fever and measles through the medium of returned South African troopers and their clothing, and that a select committee be appointed to be designated the “Public Health Committee” with power to call for persona and papers, and to confer with any similar committee appointed by the House of Representations, such committee to consist of the Hons. W. C. Walker, H. W. Williams, Thos Kelly, Col. Pit-, D. Pinkerton, J Twomey and the mover.