11. 31

70

(14.) VACCINATION. Table showing the Number of Persons who were Successfully Vaccinated in each Quarter of the Year 1913.

Note. Between the l-'iih October, 1900 (the date on which the Public Health Act, 1900, came into operation), and the 'list of December, 1913, 16,519 certificates of exemption from liabilitylii vaccinate children had been issued by Registrars of Births, who register vaccinal ion certificates under the presenl law, to parents or custodians. Owing to an epidemic during the latter part of last year vaccination was carried out on an unusual scale. In most cases only names and numbers of vaccinees \w\-v available. Further small returns are probably still outstanding. (15.) MIDWIVES ACT. 1008. The District Health Ollicer. Auckland, reports: — It has not been necessary to suspend an\ registered midwives on account of the occurrence of puerperal septicaemia in patients attended by them, but three unregistered women have been warned not to attend any cases for the usual period of suspension. The District Health Ollicer. Wellington, reports: — No special action was necessary under the provisions of this Act. The District Health Officer, Christchurch, reports: — In several cases of puerperal septicaemia midwives wen- temporarily suspended for the usual period. One unregistered midwife practising at Blackball was prosecuted. One license for a' maternity hospital was revoked iii Christchurch. (16.) THE SALE OF FOOD AND DRUGS .Ml The District Health Ollicer. Auckland, reports: — The regulations under this Act came into force on the Ist April, and a large amount of work resulted, as we were daily in communication with manufacturers on ihe subject "i labelling. The year of grace enabling stock in hand to lie used up prevented any legal action being taken in this respect, hut in any case the majority of the manufacturers and importers have shown themselves eager to comply with ihe requirements. The amount of attention which should have been devoted to this work was unfortunately limited owing to tin- more pressing matter of the smallpox epidemic, so that in some cases matters in douhl had lo he allowed to stand over: thus we cannot hope to have all the new provisions iii operation at Ihe end of the period of exemption. That several important modifications in the regulations are still required has been revealed by the practical efforts to follow the regulations during the year. We cannot expect to get such far-reaching alterations in trade affairs accomplished in so brief a time. But great advances have In in made, one of lln most important being the labelling of all packages of goods with the net weight of the contents and the declaration of the maker or agent on the label. While in Australia I was able in get some useful information from the authorities there as lo their experience with these regulations, which is ihe more important to us as we are to a great extent obliged to follow Australia'- lead in so far as imported articles are concerned at least; and in America I secured a complete set of the regulations in force generally for the States and in Massachusetts. A circular was issued to butter-packers dealing with the requirements as regards labelling. An important point in regard to this commodity, which these regulations have raised, is the presence of s 11 amounts of carbonate of soda a result of the too liberal acceptation by factorymanagers of home-separated cream, which has been kept till excessive acidity has developed. The practice has been to counteract this acidity with soda bicarbonate, and. though a butter of reasonably sound appearance results, it has been found in he deficient in keeping qualities. That i his practice has had its influence on Ihe quality of butter exported I learned from conversations with authorities in England, who had noticed a deterioration in quality of some brands, and were frill\ aware of the cause. Tf it be unavoidable to accept unsound cream in isolated districts, ii would seem at least reasonable to require that butter subject to such drawbacks should be labelled differently from butter made wholly from fresh cream. In any ease, so far as the retail hade is concerned, the presence of bicarbonate insist lie regarded as a breach of ihe regtilat ions.

March Quarter. June (.) September luarter. and Dβ :ember Quarters. Total for Year 1913. Health District. ( Tiller Over Under I Year. ] fear. ] Year. iy£. aiia - ... , Exemptions A " Al — granted. Auckland « Wellington - Hawke'a Buy-Nelson iauterbury-Westland )tago 5 12 17 32 93 4 7 11 4 4 16 43 ( . ! 132. Tiki 4 i ,_ ii..{(X) 15 i 0 I 21 15 i i i i i i 132.Tiki 6,300 132.800 J ii. 150 132.800 ( j 6,450 J! 1,037 1.2-20 881 361 Totals 66 115 67 40 139,000 139,250 3,502