PLAGUE PRECAUTIONS.

Otaki Mail, 8 March 1922, Page 3

PLAGUE PRECAUTIONS.

mqh ft ■ VIGILANCE CONTINUES. ° DANGER MONTHS AHEAD. * r . t Further emphasis was laid by the Minister of Health, Hon. C. J. Parr, on the fact that the next three months constituted the period during which . there was the greatest risk of the introduction of plague from Australia. The efiicacy of the precautions taken r throughout* New Zealand during the past four months was about to be tested. Tjie Health Department was displaying more activity agd keenness than over before. The departmental officers were strenuously and actively at work, and responded readily to the desire of the Minister that nothing should be left undone to keep out the disease. The statement made recently ' that conditions in the Department were chaotic was quite unfounded. As had been said, the activities were keener than ever. '•'There are two lines of defence against a plague visitation,” continued the Minister. ‘‘One lies at the wharves and in fumigation in the attempt to keep plague out. Stringent precautions have been laid down for the berthing of ships. It is obvious that the slightest slackness in these precautions will enable rats to come ashore, and thus nullify the. whole scheme of precautions. Hence my keenness to see that the berthing conditions are strictly complied with. I will tolerate no 1 slackness in this respect. Any officer who neglects his duty at this vital point must seek another job. Human nature inclines to slack with the best of us, and constant watching and supervision are required.’? The other method of defence, proceeded Mr Parr, was to clean up the cities and get. rid of the rats, depriving them of food supplies. The cities had never had such a cleaning up, in his opinion, as during the past four months, j and this success must be continued. i Loyal co-operation had been given by the local authorities, and many private ! citizens had helped. The greatest danIger to be apprehended was apathy. Points on which there could be imi provement were still to be seen in th. 6 cities. He-hoped the departmental ofI fleers and the local authorities would l rigorously prosecute persons keeping their premises in such a manner as to encourage the dissemination of disease. ‘ ‘ The problem is to get over the next three months,” concluded the Minister. * -I will try to do my best, in an > arduous, - invidious." and pnpleasamt (task. I hope ’the'people will support my Department ana myself fcwta; ZJ