AUCKLAND INDICTED

Taihape Daily Times, 2 December 1918, Page 5

AUCKLAND INDICTED

RUSSELL’S EXTRAORDINARY TELEGRAM. ITS WITHDRAWAL DEMANDED. As was only to be expected the extraordinary telegram sent to' the Mayor of Auckland by the Hon (?. W. Russell on Saturday, created a storm of indignation and protest unexampled in the history of the Northern city. A special meeting of the City Council was held on Saturday morning, at which were present the most representative citizens of the community. The Mayor, on taking his seat, was greeted with rounds of applause, and his reading of the Minister’s telegram was punctuated by cries of “Shame!” Mr. Gunson read a telegram which he proposed to send to the Prime Minister, in which he drew Air. Massey’s attention to the grave reflections upon the city of Auckland contained in the telegram seiu by the Hon. G. W. Russell. He protested emphatically in the name of the citizens against these grave aspersions and totally unwarranted reflections upon the corporation and the fair name of the City of Auckland. The telegram concluded; “In view of the grave risk arising from war conditions and epidemics known to be spreading, I appeal to you on behalf of this community to afford us even at the point of inconvenience to shipping and traders the utmost possible protection by means of the most stringent precautionary measures, and I conclude by a renewal of my protest on behalf of the citizens against a member of your Cabinet writing to this city in such abusive and insulting terms." Mr. Gunson said there were a number of facts connected with the arrival of the Niagara which had not been made public. In the first place, ‘when she arrived, he protested to the Minister against the berthing of that snip. It was at the speaker’s request that the wharf was cleared. He ’had proteested to the Minister at the vessel being allowed to continue to lay alongside the wharf. He had protested against the passengers being allowed to land. His "communications, ?however, were of no avail, and the representations were ignored-. Finally the Minister came to Auckland and met i the Citizens’ Committee, hat that action was not taken until the gravity of the position had been brought home to him. He (Mr. GunsonJ’ submitted that the Minister should have realised the gravity iof the position before the Niagara was allowed to berth. He did not say the Niagara introduced the epidemic. A member of the Council: “I do.” Mr. Gunson said that he did say, however, that she introduced a particularly virulent form of the epidemic. He deprecated personalities, but they had to consider the abusive nature of the telegram, which contained three direct charges, and among other matters laid at the door of the Council the deaths of hundreds of of citizens from this epidemic. Very strong language was used by other members of the Council, one going so far as to allege that the Minister’s action was that ■of an insane man, that the Minister was unbalanced, and that his “grey matter” was not capable of carrying on with his duties. “I suggest ” the speaker continued, "'hat if the Minister had visited the graveyards, if he had seen the coffins lying there unburied; if lie had visited the hemes of all these people who arc sorely stricken, would he say then that Auckland was panic stricken?” Eventually, a strongly-worded motion of protest was passed, demanding the withdrawal of the Minister’s telegram, or in default that a Parliamentary Commission be set up to inquire into his allegations. Cr. Hall-Skclton charged the Minister with the responsibility, and stated that his present attitude was due to an attempt a evade the real issue. He unhesitatingly stated the pneumonic influenza was brought to New Zealand by the Niagara. Mr Skelton went on to speak of cases that he said 1 could be traced to the Niagara, and made mention of the fact that until the Niagara arrived deaths had not occurred from influenza, but immediately afterwards deaths tok place, and the virulence of the epidemic spread outwards from Auckland. “We should have a Royal Commission, on wlitch a judge of the Supreme Court should sit to save it from political influence,” he concluded. Strong protests and equally strong language were recorded by other leading public men. The Chairman of tFo Hospital Board said he had no doubt that the pneumonic form of influenza had originated from the Niagara. He did not think any reply to Mr. Russell’s telegram could be too strong. Mr. Robt. Burns, chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, also sent a strongly-worded telegram to thp Prime Minister, in which he stated: They also feel that if the Hon. Mr. Russell’s statements are uiilfue, that he is unfit to remain Minister of the Crown, and I ask you, on behalf of my Chamber, that a Commission be

immediately set up to investigate the

truthfulness or otherwise of Hon. Air. Russell’s statements. To show the opinion that Hon. Air. Rmssell holds of Auckland people he informed me on the Palmerston North station —we were fellow-passengers on the same train —that he was going to Auckland about the epidemic because the people of Auckland had taken one of their usual panics. The truthfulness of this statement is on an equality with the statements made by the Hon. Mr. Russell in his telegram to Air. Gunson. I would esteem a prompt reply to this request, as without doubt indignation meetings will be held throughout this city unless an opportunity is given by an independent investigation to find out the truth or otherwise of these statements. Auckland, as you know, has' always been classed as one of the cleanest cities in the colony, and the death rate bears favourable comparison with any other large town, and we cannot understand why such a telegram should be setn casting a stigma on our city.”