MR RUSSELL'S RASHNESS

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 431, 3 December 1918, Page 2

MR RUSSELL'S RASHNESS

Of all the remarkable doings and utterances of the Hon. G. \V. Russell, M.P., the Minister for Public Health, the telegram he despatched last Friday to the Mayor of Auckland (Mr J H. Gunson), in connection with precautions the Mayor urged should be taken if the steamer Makura was found on arrival to have illness on board, must in the language of the man in the street be regarded as " the limit." It was both studiously offensive in its tone, and gratuitously insulting, and it is an indignity to the people of N'ew Zealand that a member of the Cabinet should be guilty of such impudent and discreditable folly, quite unbefitting of and derogatory to any Minister of the Crown. Mr Russell's message (inter alia) read as follows : " The statements made will net be contradicted by me on any assertion made by you in opposition to the information I have received. It appears tome that, by endeavouring to inflame the people of Auckland against the Public Health Department you are seeking to distract public attention from the revolting conditions proved to exist in your city, and for which you must, as Mayor for seve-al years, be held morally responsible Your neglect to protect the city from slums, over crowding, and the horrible conditions that have prevailed, cannot be covered up by the methods you are adopting. Civic mismanagement, incompetence, and neglect, are responsible for the deaths of hundreds in your city. As Minister for Public Health, I am acting on the advice of expert scientific men, which I prefer to that received from you Clean up the filthy slums and the disease-breeding places of your city. There lies your opportunity." Mr Gunson was simply doing hi-, duty in endeavouring to protect the good health of the city of Auckland, of the control of which he had. by the vote of the people, been put in charge as ,i man cap-

able and fit tor office, as compared with Mr Russell'; '.election lor ] Cabinet—due only to servile poll- j tical party allegiance without re < gard to personal abilities or ritneiv ' The people of ttie Auckland province have learnt to thetr eo-,t '■ what irretrievable havoc mav be wrought by an epidemic, and '. many a family is mourning the loss of loved ones, as the result of the Health Department failing to recognise the gravity of the disease that was rampant on the Niagara on tint vessel's last arrival in Auckland. Mr Gunson and those associated with him in lighting the epidemic made the very proper suggestion that in view of what had previouslv occurred the Makura should not be allowed to berth if there was any form of serious illness existing on the boat without first going into quarantine In reply to this, Mr Russell, who from first to last has either failed to grasp the seriousness of the position in Auckland, or has essayed to cover up Departmental omissions by attempting to hide true and uglv facts, made a statement that his Department could be depended upon to do its duty without Mr Gunson's help, and that wireless advice was that the Makura had nothing more than a few cases of measles on board, which disease, he mipudentlv suggested, was even now most rampant in Auckland, the same being contrary to fact. Mr Gunson, very naturally, was not satisfied with tnis evasive pronouncement, and recognising that even the introduction of measles patients into Auckland might result in another scourge being set loose he intimated that if the Minister failed to move he would take the law into his own hands, and would act in the interests of the community on his own initiative. This produced Mr Russell's now notorious telegram of abuse. But the sequel is that Mr Gunson's threatened action has proved entirely justified. Measles was found to have died out on the Makura. whereas there were five cases ot influenza, all amongst the crew, on board. The result is that the boat has been put into quarantine. It would seem that the influenza epidemic, with its attendant worlies, must have entireh broken down both the temper and the dignity oi the Hon. G. W. Russell. At any rate, it is a matter for grave regret that a man in his position should so far forget himself, but the incident shows him to be temperamentallv unfitted tor the position he holds. Cabinet already had to step in and to take the control of his department out of his hands in one instance. A selfrespecting Minister would have resigned upon such interference with his functions, but as he has not done so it is high time for Cabinet now to step in again and to ask him to send in his resignation.