EPIDEMIC PRECAUTIONS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 73, 13 April 1937, Page 7

EPIDEMIC PRECAUTIONS

"HUMAJNE. 7

(To ihe Editor.) Sir, — In anawer to "Fair Play's" letter regarding my ' ' violent attack" on Mr Stephenson whieh appeared in Friday night's issue of your paper, I would state that I cannot conscientiously xetract one word from my criticism. And for "Fair Play's" ediflcation, I will herewith set down my candid opinion of the manner i,n which the "powera that be" handled the paralysis precautionary measures. I will state here.that I am in no degree conneeted with the said authorities, neither have I conversed nor eorresponded with any one of them. If ' 1 Fair Play" will cast his mind back to the days immediately preceding the Imster holidays he will no doubt remember that the paralysis situation was beginning to assume an extremely serious aspect. In fact, it certainly seemed that the disease was going to reaeh epidemical proportions. . What a grave responsibility xested upon those gentlemen who had the health of the public to safeguard. A§ they wero neither auper-men nor miracle-workers, nor had they the power to delve into the future and eo determine the ultimate severity of the outbreak, it behoved them to act upon the available evidence in their endeavour to check the ramilicationg of the seourge. Owing to the closo proximity of the holidays when this condition beeame manifest, no doubt these gentlemen were in a quandary, realising, as they muSt have done, that any measure caleulated to be beneflcial to the mulfitude would meet with adverse criticism from the few who cannot rise above "cash" and "self" even when the health of innocent little children ie at stake. And so I make the definite statement that I consider. it .was their duty to forbid functions at which children were most liable to gather. iWe do not usually associate children with the racecourse, hence no restrictions were imposed upon the Waipukurau meeting. Obviously it would have been ahsurd to ban that meeting as, if that coufee had been taken, the public-houses, the picture theatres and other such gathering places of adults may well have been closed too. The same argument is applicable to the mptor-cycle races, as 95 per cent. of the 4ev°tees of that sport are adults. But a picnic sports moeting held in ideal euxroundings at Tikokino would be practically certain to aitract large numbers of visitors from Hastings and Napier who would, no doubt, take the Opportunity of giving their children an attractjve day 's outing. And also, Tikokino was ' ' clean ' ' — no cases of paralysis had been reported from the district, and it behoved the authorities to use all endeavouTS to keep it "clean," hence the banning of the sports.^ "Fair Play" may argue that children could have been barted frpm attending, and that the sports could Still have functioned, but what a tame affair a picnie meeting would degenerate in'to if no happy, bright-eyed •children were merrily romping around. And also, \yho was to look after the kiddies while mother and father attended the sports? Of course, all tlys is purejy hypothetical, but the incontrovertible and happy fact remains that the Tikokino district is still free from paralysis-. Now I will indulge in further hypotlie$is. Imagine the sports had been held — imagine that the paralysis outbreak had developed into a serious epidemie as it certainly showed signs of so dOing; iiiagine that Children from Hastings dnd Napier had journeyed to Tikokino; imagine that many children iit that dibtrict had become affected; imagine theU, if you can, what an "anti-kuthority" howl would have been blared forth. I am absolutcly unpartisin in tlils, as J realise that, no matter what Governjnent is in power, the members thexeof, in like circumstances, would eome in for their share of abuse from a certain seetion of the coliimunity. After all, the £85 which the Tikokino Sports Committee were unfortunate enough to lose can be replaced, but all the gold in tlie world could nCver restore a deceased cliild to lifo; neither could it replace a deformed limb, nor cause a semi-paralysed brain to funetion normally. And so I Would ask "Fair Play" ,and his associates to endeavour, sometimes at least, to think in terms other I than that of "cash" and then — happy

thought — l'air play would perhaps eventuate. Finally, this letter spells "finis" as far as my paTticipation in the paralysis controversy is cone.erned. — Yours, ete., 1

Hastings, Agril 11.