THOUSANDS OF INSPECTIONS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20351, 25 September 1931, Page 10

THOUSANDS OF INSPECTIONS.

DEPARTMENTAL ZEAL. ACTIVITIES UNDER SIXTY ACTS. REGULATION OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY. Such is the Government's zealous concern for the people of New Zealand that every year inspections numbering many tens of thousands are made of all classes of men and women and almost every conceivable undertaking. From noxious weods to machinery, from injurious birds to lunatics, from pawnbrokers to fungicides and insecticides, from seeds to second-hand dealers and the rabbit nuisance—such is the comprehensive range of these inspections. A rapid examination of the New Zealand Statutes reveals more than CO Acts under which inspectors are appointed. Unfortunately, it is impossible to quote more than general estimates of the total annual number of these inspections; few of the Departments givo full particulars, and in the cases where the information is published it can be found only by a laborious searching of reports. There is, however, ample evidencfe that this number is enormous, imposing a serious burden on industry and slowing tho wheels of commerce.

Inspections of Labour. The Department of Labour is one of the few which classifies and totals its inspections. The following figures are taken from the report for the year ended March 31st, 1931: Acts. , Inspections. Factories •. .. 11,833 Shops and Offices .. .. 18,768 Scaffolding and Inspection .. 19,879 Agricultural Labourers' Accommodation .. .. ' 122 Footwear Regulation ... 3,052 Weights and Measures . ... 13,835 Total -. 66,989 The la&t figure includes surprise visits of inspection (11,381) and visits in connexion with tho net-weight and stand-ard-weight provisions. Tho report shows that 164,195 woights and measures were "submitted" for testing, but there is nothing to indicate whether these involved further inspections. Reference is mado also to inspections made under the Shearers' Accommodation Act, the Servants' Registry Offices Act, and tho Lead Process Regulations, but in no case is tho number of inspections shown. Then there were investigations of complaints under the Industrial Conciliation > and Arbitration Act (3810), Apprentices Act (363), and Rent Restriction Act (120), all probably involving inspections, although those under tho Arbitration Act may have been included in the figures for tho Factories and Shops and Offices Acts.

Varied Appointments. The following is a list of some of the Acts of the New Zealand Parliament under which inspectors have been appointed (amendments and consolidations of tho different Acts are not mentioned) :

Animals Protection Child Welfare Arms . Apiaries Cemeteries Beer Duty Customs Law Coal Mines Distillation Dairy Industry Fertilisers Factories Hospital and Char- Fisheries itablo Institu- Injurious Birds tlons Kauri Gum IndusInspection of Ma- try chinory - Land . for SettleLand ments Licensing Lunatics Margarine Medical Mining Noxious Weeds Orchard and Gar- Pawnbrokers den Diseases Products Export Prisons Rabbit Nuisance Public Health Scaffolding and Sale of Food and Inspection Drugs Second-hand DealScenery Preserva- crs tion Shipping and SeaServants' Registry men Offices Slaughtering and Shops and Offices Inspection Stock Tobacco Weights and Mca- Apprentices sares Exhibitions Death Duties Lead Process ReguPhosphorous lationa Matches Rout Restriction Stone-Quarries Footwear RegulaMental Defectives tion Plumbers' Regis- Shearers' Accomtration modation Education Scaffolding and ExAgricultural Lab- cavation ourers' v Accom- Fireblight modation Fungicides and InHcalth secticides Forests ' Seeds Importation Poultry

Health Department. Tlio Health Department's, report showed that during the calendar year 3930, inspections of premises engaged in selling or manufacturing foodstuffs numbered 13,232. A separate return shows that 7512 samples of milk and other commodities were taken during the year for inspection, and still another table shows that 590 vessels were inspected by medical officers, Under the heading of school medical inspection, it is shown that 1672 schools wero so .inspected and 107,908 children examined. These figures presumably relate to the operations of school medical officers, for the following figures are given separately for school nurses:— Children examined for schedule 102,263 Re-examinations after medical officer's inspection .. 48,760 Visits to homes . • ■ • 16,016 Under the heading of dental inspection it is shown that 463,204 operations were performed, the number of children concerned being 67,652. The report gives no figures of the examination of living and other premises by sanitary officers, nor of inspections of hospitals by medical officers. Then, of course, there must be a huge number 'of inspections of patients attending Government hospitals and similar institutions. Education, Stock, and Produce. Under the Education Act, thousands of children are inspected and examined annually by school inspectors, The report of the Agricultural Department is silent oil the subject of visits of inspection by the Department's experts and district officers. These visits are estimated to aggregate many tens of thousands annually. Then there is a huge amount of inspection work in connexion with the slaughter of animals at abattoirs and meat-export houses, ami the

grading of dairy produce, fruit, and other products. Other Government Departments concerned in inspections include the following:—Audit, Land and Income Tax. Police, Valuation, State Advances, State Fire Insurance, Lands and Survey (Crown tenants, public domains, otc.)j Stato Forests, Post and Telegraph (telephones, stamp-selling machines), Public Works (public buildings and installations, construction works), Mines, Marine, Customs, Native, Internal Affairs, Scientific and Industrial Research, Industries and Commerce. In few or none of thcso cases are figures of inspections published. Finally, there is the inspection of district offices by special inspecting officers attached to headquarters of various Departments, including the Public Service Commissioner's Office. Local Body Inspections. Quite apart from the Government, many inspections are entrusted to local body officials. In Christchurch, for instance, there are a total of 25,000 premises to be inspected by' the City Council's staff, as well as inspections by the Drainage Board and by the Municipal Electricity Department. The Council alone hus to malic the following inspections:— Traffic Infectious diseases Erection of build- Dangerous 'goods . Chimneys Sanitation of Smoke nuisances buildings Factories Foodstuffs. Animal fkops Second-hand dealr Milk ers Eating houses Hairdressing Noxious weeds saloons Offensive trades Licensed hotels Water and sani- Private hotels tary cotiveni- Petrol storage cnccs