THE EPIDEMIC.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 598, 30 August 1913, Page 5

THE EPIDEMIC.

DISCUSSED IN*PARLIAMENT.

[ POSITION IN THE NORTH. MINISTER BELIEVES NOT SMALL POX. [»Y TULIXJRAPH.—I'H.IiSS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Friday. The poßition of North Auckland in respect to the prevailing epidemic was discussed in the Houbc thin afternoon. Mr Myers aaked if the Minister of Health had noticed the serious allega- ' tion made by the member for the Bay of Islands as to the condition which obtainß in the northern districts in respect to the small pox epidemic. Mr V. Reed said he went home last week to investigate the matter in connection with the epidemic. He did not wißh to be an alarmist, but he found the poßition to be serious, and the real malignity of the epidemic was not fully realised. He estimated that there were fully 300 cases in the north at present, and there had probably been 2000 in all, while a number of deaths had occurred. It wai regrettable that a portion of the lymph sent to the north had failed. There had only been 25 per cent, of "take*". Had the lympth been effective ho fait sure the disease would have been checked. In reply t) Sir Joseph Ward the Minister Baid the disease had been treated as email pox, though the medical men were not'agreed as to the true nature of the epidemic. Personally, he was of opinion that the disease was not small pox. He thought 2000 was an exaggerated estimate of the number of cases. There was no doubt that a portionjof the lymph but this was now remedied and the Government had arranged for the services of Beveral students from the Otago University to assist in vaccinating the natives. They had gone north to-day. THE DISEASE IN WAIKATO. PROTEST PROM HAMILTON. DEPARTMENT'S METHODS CRITICSIED. IMY TKLIXIIIAI'JI. —I'RKSS ASSOCIATION.] Hamilton, This Day. Strong comments were made by the Hamilton Borough Council on the attitude of the Health Department with regard to small pox. The Mayor stated a deputation of natives waited on him yesterday appealing for medical assistance to be Bent to the pahs, where'there was much illness apart from the small pox, and medical men were refusing to visit the camps. They were also sorely in want of sustenance bo" 1 * kaingas being on the verge of starvati )n, the natives having no lood and no money, and being prohibited from leaving the camps they had no means of earning any. The Health Department, said the Mayor, had taken the administration of the health l*ws out of the hands of the local bodies, but immediately struck trouble and shirked the responsibility. It waß impossible for the local inspectors to supervise all the camps in the Waikato. They were vri v nattered and Btretched over a w■ i>in area. The consequence was the r;iiivrn wandered and the deputation which called at his office waß from a i iiily infected camp. The attitude of ihe ii( parlment all through, he said, • ivnilort a Gilbert and Sullivan opera. It wns decided to eend a strong pro* tut to the Minister demanding more siringent measures to wipe out the urease in Waikato; more strict supervision of the movements of the natives; and attention to their wanti. OFFICIAL BULLETIN. Wellington, This Day. The official bulletin states one fresh