Perceptible Improvement in Levin.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 21 November 1918, Page 3

Perceptible Improvement in Levin.

•LLizaber.il Bryson, a most noticeable falhng-off in the number of ease. Wliils there are still a few very severe cases, none of a really dangerous type are recorded. Unfortunately another case ended fatally last evening when another walliknown Levinate, Mr Trin. Thompson, eldest son of Mr J. \V. Thompson, passed away at the temporary hospital. _ Dr. Bryson reports that the epidermic is apparently very severe among the Maoris in adjacent pahs «nd this con-' stitutes t.h© only real danger at pre- . sent. A native woman died at Mulm noa East last evening, a girl died near Levin on Tuesday and there have been two djeaths at the" Kuku. Altogether about 20 Maoris have succumbed in tb vcounty. Apart from_this, there appears to bo every ground for the hope that we have passed the crisis here ftpr' ' given a spell of fine weather together wifchi continued vigilance on the pari of the people there is no reason why we should not soon be quite free from the deadly malady. ' Dr Bryson wishes again to impress on the public' the necesrSty for caution. There should be no relaxation of the stringent measures already taken and the utmost care on tine part of convalescents is necessary to avoids relapses. More than one local resident has paid the penalty for a too early return to business. Dr. Robt. Bryson, wsio has had his> share of the epidemic, was" out for the first time yesterday, and -hopa- to be able now to take his share of the work ' "" again. _ The Mayor reports that the organisation is working well.in the town. There are now nineteen patients in the temporary hoppital, two being from Mnnakau. where the sickness has been unusually severe. One of the pressing needs just now is for one or two women to assist with the washing at the hoFpital. The Mayor points out tßat there is no need for helpers in this work to come into contact with the patients. All the linen is thoroughly disinfected before „ it is put to the waslil antl there cannot - v therefore be any fear on that ground. Alreadly splendid help hais been rendered in this direction in private homes, mostly by mothers who bave their hands full wilh their own duties. SMessrs "Blenkhorn and Goldsmith undertook the duty of disinfecting the Maori pahs',in the vicinity of .Levin on Tuesday. They visited' Poroutawhno, Koputaroa, Kawiu and other places and foilndi*the Maoris most willing to do all they could to assist. Tn fact many of them had already taken the necessary precautions. The Mayor states that he was agreeably. surprised at the cleanly habits of many of the natives, their homes comparing favourably with the houses.of their white brethren. There were oer- 1 tainly soms placer -tfhich needed' disin- J fectdng and a good' deal of sickness was noticeable but not as much as was anticipated. The. delegation impressed on the natives the need; for the utmost care and particularly stressed the dan aer of comine: into town while the epidemic was raging. Ny At Poroutawhao there w;v- a coffin in ■ one house, a death having taken place at the Motuiti paK the day before. The Mayor warned tlie natives against holding a tangi and found that there iv« no desire to do so. Messrs McDonald, McMillan and others in authority are seeing that the instructions are carriedl f out. [ THE HELPERS.

Gratifying help has been rendered in various quarters. 3*tr and Mrl- E. Porter have done yeoman service ever since the outbreak of the trouble. Another splendid helper, Mr A. M. Thompson, has unfortunately been now lnidi aside with the epidemic. Mr Mottershead is working early and late in any capacity required and 'Mr and Mrs Bay'liss, of Weraroa, have given much needed assistance, particularly in the upe of horses for the ambulance.

The Borough Council Chamber is the centre for the distribution of dainties for sick and convalescent families. Some sixteen families are being attended to daily and the supply of beef te-i. sponge sandwiches, jellier-, custards, etc. has not yet reached! the demand. T.li:i;o who have not already sent assista- •-

of this sort are invited to do so, air) so participate in this most neccYsary work. One of the difficulties met with at th.temporary hospital is in procuring a sufficient supply of fresh vegetables and the Mayor appeals to farmers and other growers for gifts of seasonable produce. Th© following Indies have donate!; food for families w'ho are in need of appetising dainties: Mesdames P. W. Goldsmith, Risik, B, R. Gardener, J.' Davis, J. Kebbell, J. Ryder, Fran«e, A. Murray, J. McTaggnrt, J. Parsons, Gorringe, J. Munro. A. li. William"-, K. A. Barber, W. Hughes and Miss McKegg. The Mayor wishes to thank Mr A. Dempsey for his thoughtfulne&s in supplying a very acceptable "disinfectant" in the nature of a bundle of choice cigars. ' '

The Borough ataffhas been hard hit bv the epidemic. Mr H. Ohannings, the Overseer, 'has gone under to the malady for the second time and j every member of his household' is now ill. Mr A. B-UTrell, gas manager, is also down, while Mr G. Davison is about again Itliough .his family has been bard hit. •Mr Daniels, caretaker of the baths, is another Borough employee to be smitten.

The.'Manaikau people have been working under great disadvantages but are doing t'heir best. Dr. Howe, who was sent from Wellington by the Department of Public Health, arrived there on Tuesday and immediately set to work among a number of bad cases, attending first to the many Maori patients. Mr Isaac a well-known Manaikau native, died on Tuesday as a result of the epidemic. Two further deaths, aire reported from Obaki. One victim is Mr George Champion, who for some time has been a. Oounty roadman, and who leaves a wife and five young children. The othtar sufferer was Mrs Westaway, wife of Mr W. W. Westaway, of To Horo, who pased away at the Otaki hospital. She had been on holiday in Canterbury and on her way home contracted the in-' fiuenza at Wellington. She was a Miss Kilminster and leaves four children besides her husband.

Mr Byron Brou n informed the Mail yesterday that in a population of 1200 people visited at Otaki tihero were only 99 cases; There were seventeen patients in the temporary hospital at the Town Hall and the general hospital was full of patients. Dr Huthwaite stated yesterday that there win ah appreciable decrease at Otaki yesterday in the number of new cases, which' wan. a most hopeful 6ipsn. The Maoris at Hotuiti and Matakarapa (Foxton) are simongst the worst sufferers. Mr ,J. K. HoniblJow., the representative of the HospitaJ Board, fot to work on Sunday at Motuiti and ad the whole of tiie native resiliences fumigated. A hospital was also set up in the meeting house and took other precautions. Three Maoris have died. Wiith a view to assisting the Maoris to combat the _ epidemic a very large number of copies of precautions and warnings have been printed in Maori for distribution among the Maori pahs and kaiaagas throughout the Dominion. Owing to tihe influenza epidemic the drapers' shops in Palmerston are open an to® afternoons only. . The whole of the Shannon Dairy Company's staff with tie execution. of the secretary are down with the epidemic. A Weilingtou committeeman eays it

WHHWMHjpfotted tKat so few women leisure have responded women workers in. the "Wellington Centra) district. He points /out that disease is not a respecter of persons, and if the leisured women of Wellington dp not rally to the call of humanity it may be to their everlasting regret. JVlr J. C. S. Burn, of Christchurch, gft&o died from pneumonia, was the last son of Mrs Bum, of Hereford tSfagcet, C-hristchurob, whose other two Hps lost their lives on active service. ■.©He was an airman who is supposed to ha ve been killed by the Arabs in Mesopotamia and the other was with the Main Body and was laat seen in a dressing station'on the beach at Anzac desperately wounded, but has never been heard of since. (Mr Oharles Montrore Richards, one oif the oJdest and most-respected residi&ntis of Shannon, died- at his residence there last week, the cause of death being heart failure. He was 73 years of age and was born in Wanganui. Those who attended the Peace "celebrations in PaJmerston la*t week were impressed by the vigour and splendid physique of Peeti Te Awa Awe, who appeared on the platform stripped to the waist, made a witty and appropriate speech and performed a haka of rejoicing. But the exposure on that occasion was /fatal. Peeti caught a ohiill which brought on pneumonia and ended in his denth at Rangiotu on Tuesday. Six additional deaths occurred in Dwnnevirke on Tuesday, including Mir AV. H. Hartgill, manager of the Dannevirke branch of Messrs Barraud and Abraham Jincl the leading racing judge of thfe Dominion. He- wits taken ill on his return from the New Zealand Cup meeting and died on Tuesday afternoon. A Ohristchurch victim of the epidemic is Tj. McLachlan, who in his prime was one of_ the most brilliant athletes the •Oominion ever produced l , establishing a series of record® for sprints and mfddle' distances that stood for years. It is estimated that there have been 600 burials in Auckland since the epidemic began, from which must be de- . ducted the ordinary death rate of. 120 per month.