THE EPIDEMIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 November 1918, Page 8

THE EPIDEMIC.

AUCKLAND IMPROVING. ' EXTENDING RELIEF WORK.^"' By Telegraph.—Press Association. Auckland, Last night. The Mayor stated that the position of the epidemic to-day as compared wit'li a week ago shows a vast improvement. He is convening a meeting of citizens to continue and extend their operations for assisting the people unable to help themselves. The Mayor is also considering the question of starting a citizens' relief fund. Mr Gunson is asking the Minister for Defence to release at once from camp the married men who are well. PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION DISCRETION. Wellington, Nov. IS. School inspectors of the Dominion, in view of the exigencies of the present* epidemic, are being instructed to exercise in their discretion ail the powers granted by regulation for the acceptance of school records and other means of judgment in evidence of attainments required for certificates, of either proficiency or competency in Standard VI. A special examination, it is trusted, will thereby in most cases >be avoided without prejudice to the claims of candidates to free education at a scondary school. WELLINGTON POST OFFICE HARD • i MIT. h* - ;"-'- Wellington, Last night. There were one Ih.undred and fifty absentees from the Post Office this morning, 41 being postmen. In the telegraphs and telephones 202 are absent. v MEDICAL STUDENTS. WINNING THEIR SPURS. - All available assistance is being made use of, and in this connection a number of fourth-year students from the Medical School at Dunedin are giving considerable help to the department. Up to the present six fourth-year men have been diapatcfted to the Auckland district, two to Wellington, and six are being employed at Dunedin. There are 14 still available, and the Minister has ordered five cf thcae to go to Christchurch for i:so, if necessary, in the city and on the West Coast. The other nine are to report at Wellington, whence Uhcy frill be distributed to the most necessitous district iu the North Island. A large number of applications are being Teceivcd for the establishment of inhalation chambers, and the Railway Department has now undertaken to manufacture them, :o that it is Ihoped that tuo number at the disposal of the health authorities will be considerably increased at an early date. | agp[;| GENERAL. Word was received in Inglewood on Sunday that on one farm near by all the family, consisting of seven members, were down witli influenza, and that the cows had not been milked for two days. No help could be given by neighboring fanners bc-cause they also were ill and up against it, but it was hoped to get out help yesterday morning. In Glenn road, New Plymouth, yesterday one of the Citizens' Committee captains discovered a home with all the inmates down, excepting an infant in arms. Help was at once given and medicine supplied. It is extraordinary how quickly the disease overtakes people. At one Siouse in New Plymouth there were two out of five ill on Sunday. In the afternoon when the Citizens' Committee captain called ho got no answer to his knock. After a while lie heard a voice in. a sear by room asking him to come in. He found ilhat the other three were dov.-n, and all vero helpless with no one in atendancc. Assistance was at once despatched. CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE. The Health Department is taking all manner of precautions now to confine and stamp out the influenza epidemic, but why it did nothing to quarantine vessels coming from infected countries and with virußent cases actually on hoard i 3 hard to understand. Also, why wlhcn the disease had such a hold in Auckland nothing was done to eonfine its ravages to that centre. People suffering from the disease in its worst form were allowed to come dov.n to New .Plymouth by steamer and others by train. One man died a day or two after he reached New Plymouth. .Auother iresidcnt on a. visit to the northern city arrived home suffering from the disease. A day or two''afterwards uvery one in the house where lie lived was down with it. It is little shc-rt of criminal that men suffering from the disease should have been allowed to fjissiminate it in tta way they have, Sow the Health authorities are takbj; action—when the damage has been done. It Is hut (mother case of lock- | (no the stable door after the steed has been stolen. It is worth noting ifiat Australia from the beginning has taken no ohanees. It has quarantined every vessel, troopships and a]!, Result, there is no influenza outbreak, except in the quarantine hospitals , t .i .

! - u _. WAITARA. Waitara lias al>out 10 per cent, of people down, ngiio,. fortunately,, beiny serious cases. Jt was reported that there was a family all down at Wuihi yesterday. This comes within the jurisdiction of the County Council, 'but in the absence of their activity, the Waitara committee, which is working splendidly under the captaincy of Mr. T. Buchanan, arrangements were made to attend to the cases at once. Waitara last night was short of drugs, which New Plymouth supplied. No fresh, bad cases are reported from the Maori palls. POSITION AT HAWERA, Up to the present the epidemic has been of a mild type in Hawera (states the Star), hut two deaths occurred on Sunday—Mr. K. Carpenter, of the 0.8.1'' Boot Shop, and Mrs. E. Baldwin, of Okaiawa —both deaths taking place at the isolation hospital a few hours after admission of the patients. The Maoris have the disease pretty badly, there being three deaths since Friday, and drastic measures at the kaiangas are necessary. Five of the staff at the Hawera Hospital are down, and help is urgently needed. A house-to-house visitation hns been organised. A number of the Hawera Star staff are laid aside, the paper being produced -with great difficulty. An inhalation chamber is at work and is largely used. A number of eases are reported in the country districts. 'ACTION AT WAVERLEY, ; ' ; v r An inhalation chamber was set up in the Waverley Town Board's buildings on Friday evening, when quite a number of people went through. The apparatus used is a Perfection heater with a tin on top containing sulphur. This was recommended by the doctor, as a proper inhaling plant could not he procured. The influenza epidemic having made its appearance in Waverley, the authorities decided to take the Town Hall as a hospital, and a band of willing workers assembled on Sunday morning to carry out the necessary work, and the liatl was speedily turned into a hospital, and was soon occupied by patients. Mrs. Adlam, Mrs. Harvey and Miss James were the first three nurses to volunteer, and they ■have taken up their duties. The telephono has been installed, and the place fitted up as conveniently as possible. On Sunday evening the Town Board met to discuss the question of taking in patients from outside districts. Messrs. Belton and Dickie, members of the Hospital Board, were also present to confer with the board on the question of accommodation, and they promised to do all possible to assist. PRECAUTIONS IN PATEA, On Sunday the Mayor and Mr. F. G. Davies were in attendance at the Council Chambers, where arrangements were made for spraying the throats of all who chose to come along. The spraying will be carried out daily from 9 to 10.30 a.m. and from 3 to 4.30 p.m. So far only three fresh cases were reported yesterday in the town, and the authorities appear to have got the epidemic well in hand. In reply to the representations of the local Hospital Board, the Minister on Sunday wired that he would do his best to send along a medical student to assist Dr. Collins as soon as one was available. The Minister has wired the Hospital Board stating that no person is allowed to suffer during the epidemic on account of lack of means, the board to supply all medical comforts, etc., in such cases at the Government's expense. SERIOUS POSITION AT DANNEVIRKE. Dannevirke, Nov. IS. The epidemic shows no sign of abatement, There are still many serious cases. The only doctor available for the whole of the district is Dr. Deck, of Waipawa. Up to the present there have been ten deaths. There are many serious cases in the hospital. '' DEATHS IN CAMP.' FEATHERSTON. Advice has been received from Featherston Military Camp that the undermentioned men have died, the cause of death being influenza unless otherwise stated:—* Private Wm'. Henry Smith 1 , Nov. 13 (Miss Z. M. Stanley, New Plymouth, friend) 1 . Private David Condon, Nov. 14 (Mrs G. Condon, Eltharn, wife). Private Hugh Bertram Patersori, Nov. 13 (Waiiganui)'. Corporal TJobt. Duncan Mc-Caw, Nov. 14 (Mrs. -T. McCaw, The Manse, Lower ilutt). 'AWAPUNL Advice lias also been received from AwapuniCamp that the under-mentioned men, among others, have died:—? $ Private Claudo S. Chalk, Palmerston North Hospital, Nov. 14 (Palmerston North)'. Private J. A. Sell, Nov. 10. Lieutenant A. D. Jack, a returned discharged officer, now on home service at Somes Island, died at the Victoria Military Ward, Wellington Hospital, on Nocember 15. r uis next-of-kin 1 is Mr. R. Jack, eavo Dominion Office, Wellington. Advice has ibecn received from the Defence Headquarters, Christchureh, that the under-mentioned men died at Hanmer Springs Convalescent Hospital:— Q.M.S. G. Goodrich, Nov. 10. Lance-Corporal W. G. Clark, Nov. 1:'.