DANGER OF INFECTION IN LETTERS, ETC,

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 17 April 1919, Page 3

DANGER OF INFECTION IN LETTERS, ETC,

The Niagara underwent 60 hours quarantine in Auckland this trip, and her mails were thoroughly fumigated before delivery. But unfortunately the source of infection is not the outside of the envelopes. It is the contents of the envolopes— the letters —that matters, and the only effective method of killing the disease-germs is baking the letters thoroughly, and that, of course, the post-office cannot be expected to undertake. Another way in which infection is spread, in Auckland at any rate, is this : owing to the scarcity of paper many of the sm:ii!or groceries and provision shop.-- are in the

habit of encouraging, customers to preserve the paper-bags in which eatables arc sold, and return them. These store or shop-keepers will give a handful of lollies, or perhaps a penny or perhaps a penny or two for the bags returned to them by customers, and in this way the bags are made to do duty over and over again, and may carry the seeds of many infectious complaints with them. The practice should be prohibited, of course, but what is everybody's business is nobody's business.