FIGHT THE PLAGUE.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1922, Page 5

FIGHT THE PLAGUE.

THE SEASON NEARING. MINISTER ISSUES WARNING. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Feb. 7. The Minister of Public Health has issued the following circular letter to the Mayor of every city and borough, chairman of every town board and county council regarding anti-plague precautions. Plague is a dirt disease. Wherever there are dirty premises, dirty kitchens, dirty shops, dirty houses, or wherever there is uo adequate provision of rat-proof receptacles for foodstuffs there will be found the rat in large numbers; and the rat is the medium of plague. Unfortunately in the last few weeks there seems to be a marked slackening of effort in the war to exterminate the rat, and many householders are doing nothing. I desire to warn you that apathy now will be disastrous. This month, more than any other, your efforts must be redoubled, for with next month begins the plague season. The Director of Health in Sydney last week, in announcing another human case, stated that a large visitation of the dread disease might be predicted almost with certainty next month. The danger of Sydney is almost equally our danger. I would ask, therefore, that your board (or council) renew the effort to poison and trap rats and to clean up your district during the next four weeks. Only in this way can New Zealand be assured of comparative immunity.