FLAXMILLS AND TYPHOID.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1010, 15 October 1912, Page 4

FLAXMILLS AND TYPHOID.

Measures are being taken to prevent the occurrence of further cases of typhoid fever at the flaxmills in the Mauawatu district. In the course of a statement on the subject to the House of Representatives on Friday evening, the Minister of Public Health controverted the statement made on Tuesday that his Department hadneglected its duty. The allegation was made during that debate that although the Department had been notified of a case of typhoid fever at one of the mills, the district health inspector did not visit that mill until a month had elapsed. Mr Rhodes said that he had now ascertained that in the case refened to, the patient had been ill for a month, but the illness was not diagnosed as one of typhoid fever until that time. In every case in which a case of typhoid tever was reported, the sanitary inspector in the district visited the mill. In order to reassure hou. members that the Department was not going to neglect this business, and that it was fully alive to the seriousness of the position, be stated that he had decided to send a health officer to inspect all the mills in the Manawatu district, and the Minister for Labour had promised to send an officer of the Labour Department to inspect the quarters of the men. There was some doubt, the Minister added, whether the Health Department bad power to lay down regulations for the supply of water, but if it proved necessary the Prime Minister had promised to introduce a clause in his amending Bill, definitely to bring water supply within the scope of the regulations under the Act. Amendments were being drafted also to enable the Department to enforce cleanliness in the water supply, not only on flaxmills, but also of factories.