302 Measures to prevent the [CHAP. X.
observation all suspicious persons. Railway communication was
accordingly re-opened.
Rohri.
Later on the plague having spread to Rohri and other stations in
the Shikarpur district, the Government of Bombay informed the Gov-
ernment of India that the District Magistrate had prohibited all
booking, except with the permission of the Plague Committee, from
Sukkur and Rohri, from stations between Sukkur and Shikarpur on
the branch of the North-Western Railway leading to Baluchistan,
from stations between Rohri and Reti on the branch leading to the
Punjab, and from stations between Rohri and Setharja, inclusive, on
the chord line to Kotri. The Government of India objected to these
arrangements, and suggested that passengers leaving Rohri should
be examined in the manner prescribed for Sukkur; persons travelling
from Rohri towards Baluchistan being inspected at the Indus cross-
ing. After some further correspondence these instructions were
carried out, and the closed portion of the line was re-opened, except
at stations between Rohri and Tando-Mastikhan on the Rohri-Kotri
chord and between Rohri and Pano Akil on the line leading to the
Punjab. The stations on these portions of the line were kept closed
for some time longer to prevent persons booking from stations in the
immediate neighbourhood of Rohri in order to avoid examination at
that place.
Baluchistan.
Another proposal to impose quarantine against railway travellers
was made by the Agent to the Governor General in Baluchistan
towards the end of March. He stated that there was serious sickness
of plague extending to Quetta from the infected districts of Sind,
and strongly recommended that quarantine should be imposed at
Jacobabad on all native third class and intermediate passengers for
Baluchistan from Sind. He pointed out that, with quarantine on
railway passengers at Jacobabad, it would be almost impossible for
plague to reach Baluchistan owing to the intervening desert. In reply
the Government of India explained their objections to the imposition of
land quarantine, and stated they had refused to allow it in other places
in India. They remarked, however, that the fact that the desert has
to be crossed would render effective quarantine easier for Baluchistan
than elsewhere, and they stated that in view of the possibility of
plague advancing by Baluchistan to Afghanistan political considera-
tions might outweigh the general consideration against land quaran-
tine. The Agent to the Governor General was further informed that
if quarantine were imposed at all, it should be within the Baluchistan
border and not in Sind, that it must apply to all passengers by what-
ever class they travel and whatever their race, and that separate camps
for each day's arrivals as well as segregation hospitals must be provided