The Minister in charge of the measure has compromised with its opponents to the extend that he has abandoned all the proposals in it that provide for the detention, compulsorily or voluntarily, of persons suffering from venereal disease or, in the alternative, for the compulsory submission of sufferers to medical treatment.
The sacrifice of these clauses involves the removal from the Bill of its most valuable features. If there were no other provisions of law that may be applied, in the interests of public health, to the prevention of the spread of venereal disease, we should be disposed to view with great concern the emasculation of the Bill.
Fortunately, there is an Act on the Statute Book which admits of the detention of persons, committed to prison, who are sufferers from the disease. If this provision of law is strictly enforced, as it is to be hoped it will be, the effect will at least be to restrict the danger of the dissemination of disease from a peculiarly infective source.
It may even be made highly effective if the police authorities will exercise the closest vigilance over the vagrant classes and if they will ruthlessly clear out the plague-spots that exist in the dominion.
Furlough cancelled
Sir James Allen read in the House of Representatives yesterday the following cablegram he had sent to the New Zealand forces in England and Egypt, with reference to the cancellation of furlough: ``Owing to urgent policy reasons, New Zealand Government, at the instance of the Imperial Government, has been compelled to cancel the proposed arrangement to grant furlough to men of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces at the expiration of three years service abroad. Please do what you can personally to soften the disappointment to the men under your command.'' He had received the following reply from Lieutenant-colonel Chaytor, Officer Commanding the New Zealand Base at Cairo: - ``All ranks accepted disappointment with excellent spirit, trusting arrangement will be reviewed when circumstances permit.'' Sir James Allen pointed out that the furlough had been cancelled at the instance of the British Government, not that of New Zealand. He hoped the members and the public would understand that.
Palestinian plagues
Some of the plagues of Palestine are thus referred to in a letter from a New Zealand soldier: ``This is an awful place for dust, which is ever so much worse than the sand of the desert. A man walking raises a cloud of it, so you can imagine what happens during the movement of 2000 or 3000 horses. The whole country becomes obliterated from views, and those who are unfortunate enough to be amongst or near the horses fairly choke. The flies are far worse than further down. Fortunately, at night they do not worry one, or I think we should go crazy. There are here, as in Sinai, a wonderful collection of insects and other life. In addition to those of Sinai, we have scorpions, tarantulas, crickets, centipedes, gnats, and wasps. Fortunately, it is not so hot here as further down, and even on the hottest days we have a cooling breeze from the sea.''
- ODT, 26.10.1917.
