H.—3l

32

Maternity Hospitals under Boards and Associations.

Special provision for treatment of maternity cases has also been recently provided by Hospital Boards at Stratford, Opunake, Matamata, and Roxburgh. At Ellesmere, Akaroa, Milton, Owaka, Tolaga Bay, and Otamatea accommodation will be available at an early date. SECTION 3.—PRIVATE HOSPITALS. There are now 295 licensed private hospitals. Of the fifty-eight new licenses issued forty-six were for maternity, eight for medical and surgical, and four for medical, surgical, and maternity cases. I endorse Miss Maclean's remarks in. her last annual report with regard to the existing law which allows of one case at a time being treated in unlicensed promises. With the increasing demands made upon licensees in the interests of the public safety it will soon be very difficult for private hospitals to exist, while those unqualified women can still carry on in unsuitable and often insanitary premises, and medical practitioners are content to have it so. The very efforts made to secure greater efficiency and better equipment may have the effect of constituting a further hardship to the public, by making it impossible for qualified nurses to compete with these unlicensed homes. J. Bicknell, Director, Division of Nursing. PART V.—SCHOOL HYGIENE. SEOTION I.—ADMINISTRATION AND MEDICAL INSPECTION. I have the honour to report upon the work of the School Hygiene Division to the end of March, 1924, (1.) Staff. There are at present eleven school medical officers and twenty-seven school nurses on the permanent staff. Dr. Baker has been on leave since August, 1923. Dr. Henderson has been on leave since the end of Feburary, his place being taken, by Dr. Mary Wilson (appointed in a temporary capacity). Dr. Helen Bakewell was appointed to the Wellington District in August, 1923. Drs. Marjorie Barclay (Wellington) and Kathleen Todd (Dunedin) have been acting as junior school medical officers (temporary appointments).

Hospital. Births. Deaths of Mothers. Deaths of Attended Infants. Outsido. I Pupils trained. Batchelor 169 40 111 154 35 174 110 43 24 42 182 63 68 25 34 44 50 95 59 94 46 50 26 22 31 1 i i 1 25 8 Lawrence McHardy Home . . Wairau Picton Alexandra Home .. Essex Home Cromwell Mangonui Hokianga i Whangarei Kawakawa Kaikoura Oxford Waikari Naseby Masterton Rangiora Methven Ashburton Geraldine Te Puke Whangaroa Rakaia Waiuku Salvation Army Dunedin Chribtchurch Wellington Gisborne Auckland Napier 3 2 3* 2 117 4 1 and 4* 1 3* ... 4 and 4* 3* 2* 2 1 2 and .1* 6 2* 3 3 2 and 3* 1 4 '.', 1 5 7 12 2 1 1 7 1 2 1 2 2 3 2 1 2 2 1* 3 81 56 65 60 66 89 2 4 and 2* 7 3 3 2 1 * Still-births.