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SENATOR E. A. DRAKE-BROCK- I MAN (W.A.), Government Whip in Senate. Help
SENATOR E. A. DRAKE-BROCK- I
MAN (W.A.),
Government Whip in Senate.
Captain Harper's Death
NO MEDICAL MAN AT PORT HEDLAND
j Northers Paper's Strong Comment
\ '>-.-:
It appears that when the recent
aeroplane accident happened at Port
Hedland, which resulted in the death
of Captain Harper, there was no medi-
cal roan at the Port, owing to the
R.1Í.O.. having had to attend tho Nulla-
gine murder CiSe bein¡r trier! AX. Cue.
On» ?'&d to be obf.-,-fX from Jlo
' Lu. r i- ¡J-, «Peoial aeroplane. The "Nor-
then rirr.es,'' in ciaiaenting on the in-
cident., says:
"The unfortunate death of Captain
Harper ar. Port Hedland ;i£ the result ;
Ol injuries reeeivec in tls>; aeroplane ¡
accident, and the fact triar thore was !
no doctor .available -.îruil ¡> sçtci&l
.'plane was despaîcheoi to Koebi/".rnc to
bring Dr. Iiíaúnssll from there, jreces
sitating a de!?.y o£ some lio'irc before
the unfortunate victim could receive
medical attention, thus, possibly, pre-
venting any chance of saving his life,
call for strong comment. There have
been at least two other cases, both
serious, in which the ijatients had to
be removed elsewhere from Hedland
owing to .the absence cf the Resident
Medical Officer from tho Port.
"Dr. Wilson, v. ho holds thc position,
was called away .as a witness in a mur-
der case to be tried at Cue, necessitat-
ing his absence from Hedland for any-
thing from a month io six weeks at
least. No locum tenens was provided
to take his place* during his absence.
No regard lias been had to the neces^
sities of the people, especially tho wo-
men and children, isolated in the Pil-
bara district, and no terms can be too
strong in which to condemn the callous
attitude of the authorities towards the
people, who are doing their best to
really do what the Government is -very
fond of talking about-developing the
North-west.
"Those who have the power to leave
a place like Port Hedland without any
medical man are living in ease and
comfort amid all the advantages which
prevail in a populous centre. All the
latest facilities are at hand in cases
of sickness or accident either to them-
selves or their dependants, and appar-
ently they neither know nor care what
may happen to those away in parts
where all those advantages are want-
ing. But the Government which allows
its departmental officers to work their
own sweet will in this, way is as much
or more to blame than those inme-
diately responsible, and we trust the
people and public bodies in and around
Port Hedland will let the Government
know in unmistakable terms through
their member in Parliament what their
opinion is of the criminal callousness
that has been 'shown by the depart-
ment or departments concerned."
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