CO129-304 - Governor Sir Blake - 1901 [1-4] — Page 169

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with bruskwood.

3.

166

Dr. Young who was making independent

observations, found the neighbourhood of the Sanatorium

infested with the Anopheles Mosquite, and proposed that

the surrounding hills should be cleared for a distance

of Three hundred yards, the mall bogs, of which he

found several, drained, and the Anopheles pools in the

nullahs filled up. I gave carte blanche so far as the

surrounding Crown Land was concerned, and 200 men of an

Indian Regiment were sent to carry out the work under Dr.

Young'a directions. It has been very thoroughly done,

and a detachment of Indian Troops is about to be sent to

re-occupy the Sanatorium. When the Malarial season arrives

I shall watch the result with great

4.

interest.

I have alse taken in hand the treat-

ment of twe mullahs in the Western District of Victoria

where there are admirable building sites but the position

is notoriously malarious. The cost of this tentative

experiment is not large up to the present; but should

it prove effective it will be necessary to undertake

very extensive and expensive works to combat this

Malarial past.

5.

Next to Malaria which is accountable

for a large proportion of the death rate of the Colony the question of plague is pressing for investigation.

We are in the dark as to its origin, or the means of its

propagation