Paralysis Precautions

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 68, 7 April 1937, Page 7

Paralysis Precautions

RICHARD J.

STEPHENSON.

(To the Editor) Sir, — It is with deep regret that I feel the necessity of penning thctee few lines in regard to the dread disease infantile paralysis. It is some months since we were overtaken by this disease and the grave danger of its becoming an epidemic and taking serious toll of our young people, and I wish to point out the weak and futile methods adopted by our Government departments to stamp out the disease. It is true that the Health Department OTdered the schools to be closed earlior than usual for their Christmais vacation and also delayed their reopening. This department also diseouraged the holding -of school pienics and oUtdoor sports of any nature. Now, isir we shall nee what the Eailway Department has done to aSsist in stamping out this disease. It has advertised excursions and picnies throughout the length and ibteadth of our little country (railway employees have held numerous pienics). Practically every week-end we have seen railway excufision trains arriving at Napier from all corners of our little island fetching hundreds of picniekers of all ages to our towns and vice versa, and among the passengers on these trains I have notieed many babes in arms. . What wonderful co-operafion we have here between these two Government departments, the one, we must admit, giving us a lot of cheap advice and the other taking no heed and doing evreything within its means that would spread this disease from one end of the country to the other. Any g.ood we may have done by cancelling our small • school pienics could have been a tbousaud times undone by our Bailwayts Department. I regret tbe necessity of penning tbese few lines at this late liour and have hoped that some abler pen than mine would have taken up this matter. Thanking you for your valuable space, — Yours, etc.,

Haumoana, April 6, 1937,