19

H.—3l

who did not care to face an investigation. I have been assured by certain interested parties that the fruit was not inferior to quantities that have been imported and sold in New Zealand on previous occasions. I replied that to prevent a recurrence of such matters is one of the raisons d'etre of the Department. There are many small cottages in Napier that were erected many years ago occupying a miserably defective curtilage." As these fall into decay and are pulled down, care will have to be taken that they are not rebuilt, or, if re-erected, their proportions are restricted to permit of the proper amount of openair space at the back or side of the dwelling. On Christmas Day the Norwegian barque " Ivar Aasen," bound from the Marshall Valparaiso, put into the roadstead with the whole crew suffering from beriberi. Two of the crew had died, and the captain, with such a short-handed crew, and those in an invalid condition, found it impossible to navigate the vessel further. Dr. Moore, the Port Health Officer, boarded the vessel on arrival, quarantined her, and gave instructions for a supply of suitable fresh food to be provided. On the following morning he communicated with me, and we went off together. All the remaining crew were more or less affected, and the mate and two of the seamen were seriously ill, the mate being so ill that I was very anxious about his condition, and feared that we might not get him ashore alive. We brought these three ashore, and sent them to the isolation ward at the Napier Hospital, where they all made a good recovery, but at the date of the vessel's sailing the mate had not sufficiently recovered to go with the ship. The origin of the complaint is a mystery; the captain is not aware that there were any cases at the Marshalls, and the ship was well found and provided with good provisions. - Olive, Meeanee, and Taradcde. These townships have progressed, some of the old buildings being demolished, and better residences being erected in their place. The buildings in Taradale are generally good,|and with channellings and well-laid-out roads this pretty township presents a cleanly and prosperous appearance. Greenmeadows may be considered a suburb either of .Taradale or of Napier. It is being built over with comfortable dwellings, and is a very pretty township. Like Taradale and Meeanee, it possesses some fruit-farms and vineries, which are well laid out and tended. Many of the dairies supplying Napier with milk are situated in these townships, and the excellence of the soil and the consequent richness of the pasture is a factor favourable to the quality of the milk. When the swamp is fully reclaimed and built over, these townships will be practically part of Napier —it will be difficult to say wheTe one begins and the other ends. Probably in a few years' time, they will be incorporated in the borough. When we consider the advantages possessed by Napier and its environs, we need not be surprised at the healthiness of the inhabitants. With such an excellent climate, and a supply of as good water as is possessed by any place in the world, it would require much sinning in the way of filth to cause much sickness. The typhoid and dysentery that once scourged these parts were entirely due to dirty surroundings, dirty milk, et hoc genus omne. Happily the one has become rare, and the other is almost unknown. Havelock North. This township has improved during the past year, through the erection of some pleasant and tastily designed houses, both on the hills at the back of the township and fronting the main street. Some of the old cottages have disappeared. The hotel has been improved, and the sanitary arrangements brought up to date. Hastings. This town is growing in size and importance, and is still free from any sign of overcrowding. Considering the amount of land still available for building, it should be many years before the danger of slum dwellings becomes acute. ' Much has been done in Hastings during the past year, much still remains to be done, and careful supervision will be required each year as the town grows in size and importance as it bids fair to do at a rapid rate. Many faulty house connections have been replaced with up-to-date appliances, and thirty-four houses have been connected with the seweT during the year. Notices have been served on others calling on them to connect. Some of those notified seem inclined to be obdurate, and it is more than possible that prosecutions to compel compliance with the borough by-laws and sanitary requirements may be instituted. The members of the Hastings Borough Council are for the most part an intelligent body of gentlemen, have the interests of the town at heart, and are fully alive to their responsibilities. They are not as ready as some might wish to prosecute recalcitrants who are inclined to set at naught their demands, prefering to gain their end by moral suasion, rather than by the exercise of brute-force. Perchance in this display of the gentleness of the dove there may be combined the wisdom of the serpent. It will not be long before an extension of the sewer-area will have to be faced, but in the outskirts of Hastings the sewer will not be needed for many years owing to the scattered nature of the holdings, and the extended area on which they stand. To settlers who have sought my advice, and where the land is too flat to admit of the installation of septic tanks, as it is in many cases, I have recommended the Vivian Poore method of disposing of the nightsoil. When this becomes general it will require some inspection on the part of the Borough Council, but I do not apprehend any difficulty under this head. The Inspector of Nuisances for the borough, Mr. F. Cook, is an intelligent gentleman, who takes great interest in his work, always shows a disposition to work pleasantly and cordially with the Department, and has been prompt in carrying out my recommendations. Kaikora North. This place still enjoys the enviable position of being a healthy and prosperous little township, requiring no attention from the Health Department.