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St. Mart's Industrial School, Nelson: Bots' Branch, Stoke. Sir,— Nelson, 25th May, 1908. During the year ended the 31st March, 1908, the health of the boys at the Stoke Orphanage has been good on the whole. At the end of August, 1907, there was an epidemic of pharyngitis and laryngitis, apparently influenzal in character. One boy died from laryngeal obstruction during this epidemic. I performed tracheotomy on him, but he ceased breathing soon after the trachea was opened. On the occasions of my visits the condition of the dormitories and offices has been satisfactory. None of the boys punished suffered in health therefrom. The septic tank is now working satisfactorily. The management of the whole institution appears satisfactory. I have, &c, P. A. Bett, M.8., M.R.C.S., The Secretary for Education, Wellington. Medical Officer.

Te Oranga Home. Sir,— Christchurch, 30tfa May, 1908. I have the honour to forward my annual report on Te Oranga Home. The health of the inmates has been exceptionally good during the past year, there having been no case of serious illness except one case of appendicitis, the patient making a good recovery. The Home, as usual, has been kept beautifully clean and tidy. I can testify to the excellent management of the Home, and congratulate Government on having the services of such an excellent Matron as Mrs. Branting. I consider that she is doing a very good work among a class of girl most difficult to influence for good. The need of the new building is urgently felt. It is to be hoped the work will be pushed forward, so that the girls may be separated into three or more classes I have, &c, A. Moorhouse, M.8., Ch.B., The Secretary for Education, Wellington. Medical Officer.

v Christchurch Receiving Home. Sir,— Christchurch, 30th May, 1908. 1 have the honour to submit the annual medical report of the Government Receiving Home, Christchurch. There have been no serious epidemics of infectious fevers among the inmates. One child, boarded out in Sydenham, had scarlet fever; she made good recovery. Another boarded-out child had pneumonia and was sent to the public hospital, where she made a good recovery. There have been two deaths, an infant, on the 23rd May, 1907, from bronchitis and convulsions; the second, on the sth September, from tonsillitis and diarrhoea. The other illnesses have not been of a serious nature. The management is in every respect most satisfactory, scrupulous cleanliness and order being maintained. The Matron and staff are seriously handicapped by having to work in two houses. It is especially unpleasant in wet weather. The new building is urgently needed, so that all the inmates may be under one roof. It has been most gratifying to see the change for the better generally shown by the children in a short time after their committal. I have, <fee, A. Moorhouse, M.8., Ch.B., The Secretary for Education, Wellington. Medical Officer.

Burnham Industrial School. Sir,— Christchurch, 13th June, 1908. I have the honour to present the following report on the health of the Burnham Reformatory for the year 1907. There was very little illness of a serious nature during the year— in fact, the number of cases of severe illness was less than for several previous years. I attribute this to the exceptionally fine winter. There were, however, as usual, a large number of cases of a septic type, due to infection, though very few were bad enough to be sent to Christchurch Hospital. Waterproof Floors. —As new buildings are in course of erection, I strongly recommend that the floors be rendered waterproof by dressing them with paraffin or otherwise, as is done in naval and military hospitals at Home. The floors at present never become quite dry in winter after the usual scrubbing, being old and porous. The consequent dampness of the air in the dormitories has a most unfavourable influence on health : it lowers the resistance to disease and retards the recovery of sick boys confined to bed, and you know we have no hospital. Professor W. Thomson, of Manchester, in the Lancet of the 11th April, 1908, says, "Thoroughly dried air has a much more powerful oxidizing influence on the blood than air which has not been dried. Whereas, when breathing dry air, the lungs exhale 5"2 per cent, of carbonic acid, they exhale less than 4 per cent, of carbonic acid when breathing damp air." I have, &c, W. H. Stmes, M.D., B.Sc, The Secretary for Education, Wellington. Medical Officer,