WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13, 1881. GOVERNMENTAL PARSIMONY. THE Manawatu Times.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 161, 14 September 1881, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13, 1881. GOVERNMENTAL PARSIMONY.

THE Manawatu Times.

" Words »r« things, and a drop of ink falling like clew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhups millions thiak."

Now that that fell disease, smallpox, is making such ravages m the neighboring colony of New South VVnlea, it behovos this Government to take every measure of prevention against its introduction and spread. Certainly a show of watchfulness is exhibited by the quarantining of vessels arriving from the affected port, and the fumigation of the mails and passengers' luggage; but trie re are otTier and important steps which, sliould not be lost sight of a? measures of precaution, and perhaps the first and greatest is placing every facility at the disposal of the public vaceinators for carrying out their duties. But is this done? No. On the contrary, it would appear as if the appointment of those ofnVals were a mere matter of form, and it waß expected that if they performed their duties nt all, it should be merely m a perfunctory manner and as a mere matter of form. Take, for instance, the case of the Public Vaceinator,for the Palmerpton District. The fee for each vaccination is two shillings and sixpence, and that munificent amount rovers the doctors subsequent inspection when he certifies that the vaccination is successful. The district over which Dr. jVlahtuxf/r, who is the Public A r accinator for Central Manawatu, has jurisdiction, extends from Buunythorpe to .Tack^ytown, and from Awahuri to Ashurst-, which it will be admitted covers a large area of country. Now the only place gazetted for the holding of vaccinations is the Paltnerston Schoolhouse, and once m three ninths. Peeling the very great hardship which was on tailed npon nv'th'-rs to he compelled to travel eighteen or twenty miles with tender babies m order to have them vaocina'ed m Paluieraton, Dr. Marti txeti has made repeated applications to the Registrar-Gene-ral to appoint Ashurst, Bunnytliorpe, Awjihim, and Karere places for vaccination, he offering to perform the duties without any extra increase m the fee, if a small sum were allowed as mileage just to cover the wear and tear of horseflesh. The offer has been persistently refused, and the consequence is that settlers who live at a distance from Palmerston will either neglect compliance with the Vaccination Act, or if they do comply with it, it is under circumstances of very great hardship indeed. Theu, again, application was made to the Eegislrar-General for a small sum for advertising m the local paper, so that the residents of j the. town aud settlers ia the country

could be notified a few days m advance of the quarterly vaccination, but this request was also disregarded, and as the Vaccinator could not be expected to do so out' of his miserable fee, an appeal ad misericordiam to newspaper proprietors had to be made on behalf of the Government to turn their ]ocal columns into an advertising medium, and give the desired information for nothing, or the unfortunate Vaccinator was m attendance at his post only to find thai there were no subjects to be operated upon. It is a pity that with the appointment of the various Royal Commissions to inquire into the working of the Civil Service and the various Governmental Departments, some equality m the matter of expenditure was not devised and recommended. While the most lavish extravagance prevails m some branches of the Service, m others, and more particularly m that under the control of the Registrar-General the most absurd parsimony is the order of the day — a parsimony which not only materially affects the working of the Department, but actually threatens to make nugatory many of the most important functions of its officials. If the practice of vaccination be o£ that paramount importance which medical men and scientists assume it to be; then, decidedly every possible facility should be given to officials to put it largely into effect, instead of, as m the past, by an absurd and redicu- 1 lous false economy, cramping the energies of the vacoina'ors, and throwing obstacles m the way of the performances of their duties.