There appears, however, to be no immediate prospect of the publication of full information on the subject. The usual vital statistics were not issued last month, owing to the reluctance of the Public Health Department to present figures which it assumed, unnecessarily, would have a depressing effect upon the public mind at a time when the epidemic was still rampant.
Later on, statistics prepared by the Registrar-general were issued giving the deaths due to influenza and pneumonia in the city areas up to December 6. These figures, which gave a total of 2034 deaths for the four centres, were at once perceived to be misleading.
The returns, being obviously incomplete, served no useful purpose. Further figures are now supplied by the Registrar-general, covering the mortality for the centres only up to December 17. These give the total number of deaths at 2345, distributed thus: Auckland, 1021; Wellington, 534; Christchurch, 466; and Dunedin, 304.
The increase upon the figures quoted in the earlier return is not such as to prompt any conviction that the full extent of the mortality in the chief towns has yet been revealed.
Board recognition
The splendid services rendered by nurses, V.A.D. workers, massage students, medical students, and other voluntary helpers during the influenza epidemic came up on several occasions at the Hospital Board meeting last night. One member urged that the Government should issue medals, and the chairman made a suggestion as to what the board might do.
In his remarks Mr Knight said that most excellent and magnificent work had been carried on throughout the whole of the district, and he was sure the board would agree with him that all who had assisted in fighting this deadly foe should in some way be officially recognised by the board.
He suggested that a properly engrossed minute, setting out the board's full recognition of their services, with the seal of the board attached, should be presented to each and every one of those workers who had assisted in the crisis. This, he thought, should be done when matters were again normal and full reports were to hand.
Boy's bravery
Bravery of a high degree was shown by a young boy at Rona Bay, Wellington, on Monday morning. Two girls, aged 13 and 14 years, got into difficulties while swimming, and their cries for help were barely uttered before Barry Blundell, aged 14 years and nine months, was going to rescue them.
By the time young Blundell reached them their actions were violent. He managed to take the more violent girl to the wharf steps, and then returned for the other. The girls' condition after rescue soon improved. There were a large number of witnesses to their rescue, but they were not aware of what was happening until the incident was all but over. Barry Blundell is the son of Mr Walter Blundell, of the Evening Post.
Reluctant bather
My husband destroyed the bath we had and used the bathroom as a workshop. To my knowledge he never had a bath for two and a-half years,'' stated a witness in a case heard at the wellington Magistrate's Court on Monday.
- ODT, 20.12.1918.
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