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21
It was only necessary to institute legal proceedings against the masters of
two vessels in respect of non-compliance with the Regulations issued by the
Local Government Board with regard to Cholera, Yellow Fever and Plague.
1. The s.s. " Irkutsk " sailed from St. Petersburg on July 7th with a
crew of thirty-six, and twenty passengers.
The vessel arrived at Gravesend on July 12th, where she was medically
inspected, and nine passengers detained on board the vessel, and a certificate,
in accordance with the Regulations, was served upon the Master, requiring him
to detain them on board.
The Medical Officer, in serving the notice, pointed out the importance of
such detention, and also the penalty to which the Master was liable, and that
he was not on any account to allow any of the passengers to land whose names
appeared on the detention order, without the permission of the Medical Officer
of Health.
The vessel arrived alongside a wharf, and the Master allowed all the
passengers to land.
This was clearly a wilful infringement of the Regulations, and accordingly
he was summoned at the Thames Police Court, where he was fined 20l, and
3l. 3s. costs.
The Magistrate, in convicting, said—
"The Port of London Sanitary Authority is bound by the Cholera Regula"tions
to bring such cases as these before the Courts. They have no alternative.
"It is the only way of safeguarding the Metropolis against the introduction of
"Cholera. Any slackness in the way of enforcing these Regulations may
"mean the country being over-run by this disease."
2. The s.s. "King's Lynn" sailed from Rotterdam on September 7th with
a crew of 13 all told, and arrived at Gravesend on the 9th, where the Medical
Officer, after inspecting all persons on board, served the Master with a
certificate detaining the whole of the crew on board.
On visiting the vessel the Sanitary Inspector found that the Master had
paid off two of the men, and they had left the vessel, and their addresses could
not be ascertained.
The vessel left the Port and did not return again to London until October
21st, when the Master was summoned at the West Ham Police Court, and the
Magistrate fined him 5l. and 5l. costs.