THE EPIDEMIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1918, Page 5

THE EPIDEMIC.

PREVENTIVE WORK IN NEW PLYMOUTH.

VERY EFFICIENT ARRANGEMENTS. TOWN TO CONTINUE CLOSED UNTIL WEDNESDAY NIGHT, TOTAL CASES IN TOWN 809. The Citizens' Health Committee, working in conjunction with the Medical. Superintendent of the Hospital and the local medical faculty, are grappling with; tlbe outbreak in New Plymouth in & manner that calls for the highest commendation. A more devoted and indefatigable lot of workers could not be got together anywhere, and the work they are doing is simply splendid. All day (and most of the night) on Saturday and Sunday they were organising and inspecting the town, ascertaining fbe condition and requirements of those who were down with the illness, forwarding medicines, taking temperatures, and keeping the doctors in touch with the severe cases.

Where foodstuffs or domestic help were required tbe Mayoress was at once notified, and they were dispatched forthwith.

Mrs. Burgess and her staff are having a strenuous time in preparing foodstuffs, arranging for noising and domestic help, taking temperatures, etc. More assistance, however, is urgently required. Thei ladies are almost run off their legs, and. elsewhere an appeal is made for further Mp. The appeal for lemons, jiaedicine' pottles, etc., brought a good response on Saturday. More lemons, however, are wanted, as the demand is great, whilst places down the line are crying loudly for supplies of lemons.

Archdeacon Evans has about forty ! cars at his disposal, and plenty of work is being found for them. Qn Saturday a house-to-house inspection was again made, and cards were left at llhose places without sickness. Note was taken of the condition of •*!! the patients. It is a gratifying feature of the outbreak here that nearly all the cases are of a mild kind and rapidly improving. Many fresh cases were found. On Friday the number of cases was about 300; on Saturday it had increased to 712, whilst yesterday the total was 009. Fifty-four are serious. These figures do not include the hospital oases, which number 97, the big majority being from outside New Plymouth. Inglewood alone accounting for 27. Tho block captains number 27, and the Mayor, speaking last night, referred to the fact that not one had Shirked his job. On the contrary, all were enthusiastic and doing their very utmost in helping to stamp out the epidemic. Yesterday a meeting of the Hospital Board, tho Citizens' Health Committee, and tie local doctors was held, and it was the axianimous view that the town should be closed at least till Thursday morning in order to give them an opportunity of checking the outbreak. It was decided to close up accordingly. The feeling was that the trams should also not be run till Thursday, and at a meeting of tho executive of the council subsequently it was decided to comply with this wish.

Dr. Walker expressed his satisfaction with the work that had been and was being done by the Citizens' Health Committee, fflhich had rendered the work of [the doctors much easier) enabling them to concentrate their attention upon the serious cases. All the doctors, he mentioned, had a good working arrangement, and could be relied upon to back up the work of the committee.

Dr. Walker said they had now, tlhanks to the energetic and capable work of the committee, a grip of the situation. The hospital was practically full, but he proposed to have the old hospital converted into a convalescent home. Help was wanted in connection with the nursing, cooking, etc.. whilst they could do with the services of half a dozen men to assist in cleaning and Undertaking jright duties. Dr. Walker mentioned that by organising in the manner they had most of the caaas were discovered in their early stages. The prompt treatment afforded prevented them turning into pneumonia. For that reason the proportion of serious cases in New Plymouth was remarkably low, the death rate so far being perhaps tie lowest in New Zealand. The Mayor mentioned last night to our representative that the committee fead had a strenuous day on Sunday, but he could say that there was not one case which had not been attended to—a splendid record, considering there are over 900 cases in town and that every house had been visited in the course of the day. Speaking of tlhe work of the women's committee, Mr. Buxgess said "everybody had been very good indeed." Poods were being made up and despatched to the families in need of it, the foods consisting of beef tea, jellies, and milk foods. Where domestic help was wanted it was Sent. In one house there were ten down with sickness, and two of the Mayoress' workers were despatched to the Ihouse, which they put in order and attended to the patients, and after seeing they were all right, the workers went on to •other places in need. All the workers &re fully engaged, and more are wanted to-day, as the reserve is exhausted and all axe working at high pressiixa. It is a great achievement to be able to say that eo far the women's committee have been equal to all the demands made upon them, and never in 'the history of Uio town toaye the demands 'been so i urgent and insistent.

In our advertising columns appears ft noticp of importance to shoppers! The Health Committee hjuyo drawn up & list •of instructions, send appeal to shoppers to pay heed to them and thereby help the committee in their work. Sine establishment of the additional inhalation chambers calls for mora helpers. .Inspector Boy will be glad to get in touch with ladies, .and gentlemen (rifling■to assist for a few hours each day,, especially those acquainted with th&* working of a primus lamp.

-Pickets ware stationed outside the ; fhops on Saturday to prevent overcrowding, and tlhie practice will be this week. Inspector Day. who has« charge of tiiis work, will bo glad to i -have & few mote helpers this morning. 'Picketing of the food shops has its' amusing side. On Saturday an elderly lady became most indignant, and made off set once fen: Another shop. What her' ieeSngs were on finding a still larger fltwne may to%etter imagined than described. The'additional inhaling chambers pro-vidednai-Sooth Road and toe-

hours 011 Saturday 360 were treated, while on Saturday the figures were 400. la addition, machines have been installed at Waitara and Inglewood, and to-day it it hoped to establish one at Avenue Boad, st Mr. P. Messenger's garage. Amusement is often provided at (Am inhalation chambers by the antics of the uninitiated, some of whom seem to expect a torture chamber. The expression of reEef on leaving is quite refreshing. It is proposed to establish a children's temporary hospital at the East End pavilion, if the position warrants ft. Fortunately, the children are not affected to the extent as adults.

Up till yesterday the great bulk of •the eases were men's, but yesterday quite a large proportion of the victims were women. In some cases the whole of the women in the houses were down £T TEES!} SEmBOM)mO2S By Telegraph.—Press Aaßartnfifcnu W-estpori, Last Owmg to the prevalence of timeiß*i the watetsiders decided to suspend wot) until Thursday. There arc Wcases la hospital, 'including Dr. Moason Isnperia* temlent) and Captain Vista, of ti»s Nfe Paeroa. Three deaths htm occurred || the district. Whole famifin «efltridee|| and voluntary n oses axe Bantering gredt services.

Owing to the dapping SsSdestiafc there is hardly any floor m the tcuKft than a few days. and Mcera state that they wlll sot id able to iksep qqi tte snggty noli

THE NffiWi SEDERS. , A<BEBrTO -WQEKgai32^ i \ •, flie New watersiders,. meeting on Saturday dfaamoon, deeml that as there was now an inh»Jrttnn| chamber provided by the Health Depart) - meat si the wttwif and thai iiMjflihM was going to be thoroughly fiimiflnhra eta, underon officer afthis Departnwffe' it was agreed thai all ewnriaal cargo tel. worked in the interest oi tie pdbttv conditionally upon a committee betag formed representing the SWpowßfflS tti W6tersidei3 to deal with what is umoitial cargo and other matters peetato' ing thereto, daring fbe present mhlwnlv similar to what has been dad* A Wfc lingtoft, • " GENEBaSB ' " The epidemic is etOl in Palmersfcon (eays Ifriday's Mawwrata Times), and the number of cases tea now reached nearly 2000. *J3te mftuiiha tion which lhas been hurriedly Jot to» gether to combat the disease is <k>i*E magnificent work. A. letter received in Napier from. Auckland states that there van W funerals in the northern 'city 'tn t*o | days, and that graves are being dog only four feet deep.

WAITAB& 1 It was reported yesterday that Stan : ; were four deaths at tie Waftar* Bold' pah that day'or on Saturday. Waitara is well organised, and ha* the ■ epidemic in band. ira®wcm , ! Inglewood is having a bad spin, mlrt» ,;i ly because of the fact that nearly house' has been affected, bat the oxgx&tsation now is fairly complete. i) The town ran out of drags yesteeday, ' and New Plymouth waa appealed to ftt "? supplies, which were sent. J The assistance of two or three women * at the local temporary hospital wanted. •>'!

Thermometers are also in abort up> < ply, and if anyone can spare will be a great help to the local «"*■ tee.

>fr. Young, the Mayor, is down, tad Mr. Winfleld is holding the fort , ;< It was rumored that there wotnd I* * shortage of bread to-day, hut a MB supply, is now assured.

The position at Kaimata, fhere tW disease gpined a strong hold, is inqnw» ing. Egmont Village is wdl in hand, tat' Kaimiro is in the throes.

Tho local medico (Br. Nutting) las had a strenuous time, Ibat the work at the local committee is making hi* vaM much lighter now.

iDOWN THE OOttST. Members of the New Plymouth Con- "* mittee visited Omata, Oakura, andOkato -! on Saturday and Sunday, and assisted fa organising the districts, which, however,.') have so far escaped Rtrhtly.. Ten amp j were reported from Omata yesterday, only one being of a serious type. Snj* plies of medicine, etc.. have been & apatched to the three centres mentioikß&

GENERAL. Another case from tho Waipoti ywtsent into tho hospital yesterday. ■/ ? The boy scouts and schoolboys did - valuable work at the New Plymouth central depot on Saturday in cleaning.', the medicine bottles, taking messages, ; 1 A private message from Wanganui re-. eeived here lqst night stated that there were chaotic, there being no motor* cars, nur3es, domestic workers, available, and asking if New Plvmoirth i could send down help to-day. tfnfarto» a] nately, this is impossible. The or gam-' sation hero is now highly efficient, hut it , cannot afford to relax any effort. Rather • must it redouble its energies in order to 1 stamp the diseaso right out- j

It •would help the woTk of the oommit' tee a great deal if people wooH see fhsct the caTds left with them are placed out* side their front doors and kept tip to date.

Mr. Boyle, general manager of the JS* {ham Dairy Co., Ltd., says a larjfp mnn'ber of the staff at the different breaches are down with the epidemic. The position Is accentuated by the fact tiqtf neaghboring farmers who would otterwise gire assistance are themselves soK ■fcrfng. and have difficulty in gsttiaj -throif-S?! their worik.—Stax.