LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 427, 19 November 1918, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We must apologise to our readers for a scarcity of nsws in this issue but with different members of our reporting and composing staff laid low with influenza publication at all has been a matter of no little difficulty. The Auckland A, and P. Show, which was to have taken place on the 29th and 30th inet. has been postponed to a date to be announced later. The death is announced as having taken place on the 3rd. inst. at Interlaken, Switzerland, ot Pte. Alfred (Bert) Stanaway, son-in-law of Mr Wm. Donald, of Pukekohe. The auctioneering firms operating in the Lower Waikato announce that at the request of the Chief Health Officer all sales of live stock in the Auckland Province have been postponed until further notice. Four candidates have been nominated for the vacancy on the Manukau County Council caused through the death of Mr Alex, Muir, the representative of the Papakura Hiding. The contestants are Messrs T. J. Corin and E S. Pegler (Manurewa), D. A. Reid (Alfriston) and P. Roy (Weymouth), Polling takes place next Friday with polling booths at the County office in Auckland, the Alfriston Public Hall, and at Manurewa. We are informed by the Pukekohe District Coroner (Mr Cecil Roadley) that in cases where deaths have occurred from influenza and in which medical practitioners are unable to issue certifiates by reason of not having attended the deceased persons, he (the Coroner) will, on application, in accordance with the powers vested in him, issue orders for immediate burial on satisfactory assurance being given him as to the cause of death. The deaths from influenza took place during the week-end of Mrs Sarah Jane K'rkup at a private hospital in Auckland and of Mr Percy Fulton at the Hamilton Hospital. The deceased were members of a well-known local family, being a sister and brother respectively of Messrs Dynes Fulton (Tuakau), R. Fulton (Puni) and J. Fulton (Whangarata). Another brother, Mr William John Fulton, died in the Hamilton Hospital on the sth inst.

Conversing with a " Times " representative on Sunday, Dr Hughes (the District Health Officer) alluded to the vagaries of the influenza epidemic in regard to the districts in which it existed in virulent form. Papakura, he said, was badly affected ; Pukekohe and Waiuku only had comparatively mild visitations; but the disease re-appeared most acutely at Tuakau and Mercer. The following is a copy of a telegram which was received yesterday by the Clerks of the various local authorities from Dr Frengley, the Acting Chief Health Officer in Auckland, viz.: "The Acting Chief Health Officer hereby directs that all possible steps are to be taken to prohibit all Maori tangis or gatherings in connection with deaths or burials and also to prohibit Maoris travelling to attend tangis by railways, or by steamer, or other vehicles. All Maoris assembled at tangis are to be ordered forthwith to return to their own homes. Under Section 50 of the Public Health Act you are hereby authorised to require burial forthwith of all deceased persons—Europeans or Maoris. All justices are enjoined to give assistance in all the above matters." In conversation with a "Times" representative last week Mr J. B. Clarkson, whose duties as Managing Director of the concern known as J. B. Clarkson, Ltd., Wellington and Cliristchurch, has by tho result of the many trips he constantly pays to England, America, Australia, and most of the other countries of the woild and who has thereby gained reliable knowledge of international matter. o , gave his ideas as to the constructive policy that should be instituted in regard to the future control of tho Pacific Islands wrested from tho Germans. Mr Clarkson of course strongly advocated that the best results would acciue by a system of self-government being instituted for the whole of the islands bordering on the equator with the seat of parliament possibly at Suva. His idea was that neither tho Australian nor New Zealand governments could, by virtue of distance, do full justice to the requirements of ttio.so islands The Cook Islands for instance, ho said, were under New Zealand control but were practically tofa'ly mglectei. He was certain ilia 1 if tho islanders had their own government and were responsible for their own finance, forward measures would be adopted and if such were brought about he predicted that the islands would soon become an important trading centre, which would largely do business with New Zealand with all kinds of goods and with produce. The interests of all the Pacific Islands were, ho added, identical [ and the inhabitants were quite capable of governing themselves. Why lot your music books, pieces, etc., remain untiily or .orn when the same can be rebound or repaired at the "Times" office. All branches of book-binding undertaken.

Over one inch of rain fell in PuLe kohe last night ov dfiring the early hours ct to-g ay.

The Education Department notifies that the Public Service Entrance, National Senior Scholarships' In' tevmediate and Junior National Scholarships' examinations ha?f been postponed until farther nohc6. Miitary victims of influenza include Private George (Pat) Alexander, third sen of Mr Hugh Alexander, of Clevedon, and Corporal Edwin R. James, late, of Hunua. The former died at Featherston Camp on Saturday last and the latter at Trentham Hospital on Tuesday last. The death from influenza pneu> monia took place at tha Otahuhu temporary hospital on Saturday last of Mr Charles Dickson, foreman of works for the Manukau County Council. The deceased was a mar ried man with a family. He was taken ill at his residence at East Tamaki and Was removed to the Otahuhu hospital. The late Mr Dickson was most popular throughout Manukau County and in him the Council lose a most valuable member of its staff. Another of the Manukau County Council's employees passed away last Thursday at Mangere in the person of Mr James Marshall, the Mangere Biding road foreman. The borough of Pukekohe has the distinction of still enjoying comparative freedom from the influenza scourge, at least in its most virulent form. Very few of the cases in the borough are still critical and the epidemic appears to have been arrested, not many new cases occurring. With one previons death, there were two fatal cases during the week-end, but in one instance the patient's health was causing anxiety before influenza was developed. One of these two victims was Mrs Joseph Adams, who had been suffering from lung trouble, and the other was the 13 months' old bably girl of Mrs Jessie Saville, danghter of Mr G. Weston, of Hall Street. The child's father, Pte. Harold Saville, is away with the forces in France. Another death occurred this morning at Mr G. Weston's residence, viz of Mrs Smith, a visitor from Ashurst.

The efficiency of the Health Department's organisation in Auckland towards coping with the influenza epidemic was exemplified on Sunday in regard to an outbreak of the disease among the Maoris at a native settlement about two miles from Miranda. This place is situated ou the eastern coast, viz. on the Firth of Thames, but is nevertheless within' Franklin County. Information of the outbreak was telephoned by the cost-mistress of Kaiaua to Mr Alan P. Day, Clerk to the Franklin County Council, and as there was no means locally of affording any assistance to the sufferers it was , asked that something should be done. Mr Day reported the matter by telephone to the Health Department and instructions were telephoned to the Department's officer at Thames for a special launch jto be chartered and to be despatched at once to Miranda with medicine and (if possible) a nurse. At this stage unfortunately good intentions broke down since it was found owing to the illness prevalent at the Thames for a launch to be secured. This morning Mr Day has sent a supply of medicino to Miranda overland from Pukekohe, Four of the Maoris have, however, died in the meantime and many others are today in a dying condition. 4 Mr G. H. Stubbs, of Maungatangi, is doing the utmost he can to alleviate the sufferings 1 f the natives but being single-handed he is alreadv naturally neirly exhausted.