THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1913. THE EPIDEMIC.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 116, 5 August 1913, Page 2

THE Pukekohe and Waiuku Times PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 1913.

THE EPIDEMIC.

"M r t: nothing extenuate, nor set down auaht in malice."

| It ij interesting .to note that the reports from throughout the infected I districts of New Zealand go to show j that the epidemic of small-pox, so- | called, is being effectively combatted. So far as this territory is concerned—we mean the wide area over which the "Times" circulated—we have only heard of some twenty case 1 *, all of which were Maoris. Of thesg cne was at Pukekohe, a cuufl-3 at Buckland, one or two at Pokeno and seven or tight at | Mercer. The remainder were spread i about the western outskirts of the i Franklin County and in the northern j part ol" the Raglan County. In 1 this review we are not takins; into conj sidtration the still milder epidemic i which prevailed prior to the | recognition of the mure berious | affliction which became prevalent | throughout Australia and (he North j Island of JS'ew Zealand. The atti- ! tudo of the people towards vaccination | has vaiied in a rather remarkable i way in different localities. Some little communities will have nui;e of 1 it; others almost unanimously prefer i vaccination to the risk of contracting the disease. It may be presumed j thac the presence of one or two : people of strong prejudice, in favour ] of or agair.st vaccina as the case may i be, creates these circles of local | opinion From enquiries we have made it would appear that on the whole the Maoris freely tuhmit themselves to inoculation, and at ; Mercer the natives there who were j affected very willingly -and properly i isolated themselves. We understand | tl:at in this connection the advice of ! Dr Poroare, who represents the i natives of this district in Parliament, has been ino-t cheerfully acted upon In Pukekohe soma seventy ! schi 01-chil lren were vaccina'ccl, and | the necessary operation was freely performed at Waiuku, Patumahoe,

Mauku, Buckland, Pokeno, Maungatiwhiri, Mercer, Pukekohe East, Maramarua, Onewhero, Kohanga, Harrisvil'e. and in the localities to the north of Pukekohe. When th2 serious nature of the uutbreak was at first recognised some of the afflicted natives fled in alarm from the dancer of isolation, but their point of view appears to have become quite favourable to tha policy of the Health Department. It i 3 reassuring to be able to believe that so far as this area is concerned a very decided check ha 3 been given to the spread of the disease, it, indeed, the contagion hns net been altogether arrested.