ALLEGED LEPROSY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2540, 10 August 1893, Page 1

ALLEGED LEPROSY.

The Wellington Evening Press on Monday night stated that " a Mr Smith, a fish and general dealer, who is at present in Wellington, but whose place of business is at Grey town, where he is well known, positively asserts that he knows of several cases of leprosy in Wellington amongst Chinamen, and that he is working the matter up, having already called the attention of the inspector of nuisances to it with a view to briuging the state of affairs under the notice of the Government. Our informant who is a most reliable authority, states that Mr Smith told him in the presence of a well-known city hotelkeeper, that he had seen a Chinaman, whose name he mentioned, at Newtown, and another who lives not a great distance from the Te Aro Hotel, aotually scraping the leprosy scales from their faces, and that other Chinamen will not have anything to do with the alleged afflicted ones. A representative of the Evening Press immediately interviewed Mr Smith, who repeated his allegations, and stated further that he knew what leprosy was, having had considerable experience in connection with its outbreak in Sydney some time ago, when they agitated and succeeded in getting the (.Toyernmenc of New South Wales to set apart an island for the isolation of lepers. Mr Smith is now agitatiug to have certain. Chinamen medically examined,." Three Chinamen who had been, supposed to be iufected were carefully examined by a doctor, but no sign of leprosy could be fouud.