H.—3l

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Port Health Inspection. Two vessels arrived from overseas. A clean bill of health was given. Maobi Hygiene. The old Maori custom of living in pas is rapidly disappearing. Each year the Natives are building better dwellings on their own ground. The old buildings in the pas are used by the poorer and indigent class, who have lost or sold their hereditary rights to plots of land. Some of these people live consequently in unsatisfactory dwellings, and hence their bad housing, with concomitant tuberculosis, scabies, and septic conditions, continues, and the indigent Maori remains a worrying problem. Progressive work has been carried out; meetings with Maoris of main pas have resulted in improved sanitation. Health talks are persisted in, although practical results are often discouraging. With the assistance of the Native Land Board new dwellings have been erected and old ones renovated. Several Maori working committees have been organized and so far are doing good work in effecting improved hygiene in homes and pas, and in disinfecting and cleaning meeting-houses before and after meetings. Administration. This combined unit, health and school district, has proved workable. . District nurses have settled down to their wider task of school, Native, and health duties. Some of these nurses, where the Plunket Society has no representative, also include baby welfare in their duties. Inspectors are called on for more co-operation without any impairment of efficiency. SECTION 9.—CANTERBURY-WESTLAND HEALTH DISTRICT. Dr. Telfobd, Medical Officer of Health. Infectious Diseases. Scarlet Fever. —This disease, though still epidemic in prevalence, showed a marked falling-off in the number of cases compared with the year immediately preceding. It would appear that most of the susceptibles have had the disease, and that as a result the notifications under this heading should soon reach their normal mean. The incidence works out at 4-63 per 1,000 population. There were four deaths. Diphtheria.—The number of cases of this disease was nearly equal in the two health districts, Canterbury having 159 notifications and Westland 151. Fifteen deaths. Various factors contributed to an increase under this heading. First an outbreak occurred at Karamea whilst the regular communication was interrupted following on the earthquake of 17th June. Dr. Barrowclough, who happened to be stationed at Karamea at this time, managed as best he could until arrangements could be made to transfer the patients to the Buller Hospital. The s.s. " Nile " was used for taking out supplies, and bringing back the patients, as stated. Dr. Barrowclough, running short of diphtheria antitoxin, the Hon. Mr. Wilford, Minister of Defence, gave his permission for Flight Lieutenant H. B. Burrell, of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, to take out a supply of antitoxin to Karamea. In this way Dr. Barrowclough obtained his medical requisites, and the confidence" of the local residents was restored, as they were able to obtain outside news. On the 4th July the dam which had been formed by the blocking of the Mokihinui River by a slip during the earthquake broke away suddenly, flooding the Township of Seddonville, but fortunately no human lives were lost. As a consequence the houses, following on the flood's subsidence, were in a deplorable state, due to the saturation and accumulation of silt in their interiors. It was decided to evacuate the township, the refugees coming to Christchurch. The transfer of this community to Christchurch increased the number of diphtheria infections here, and on their return a few cases of scarlet fever resulted from their stay in Christchurch, but in each movement the number of infections resulting were soon controlled. Another outbreak occurred at Harihari. In this place it was ascertained that the school motorbus, used for collecting and taking the children to school, proved a ready means of spreading the infection. The incidence of diphtheria for the combined health districts worked out at 1-18 per 1,000 population. Enteric Fever. —There were twenty-seven cases under this heading, being five fewer than in 1928. The bulk of these cases occurred in two separate outbreaks—one at Timaru, which is being reported upon by Colonel Dawson, and the other developed suddenly in the Christchurch metropolitan area, and an associated case at Temuka, during the last week of September and the month of October. Each case in this group had partaken of common food substance, which came under suspicion as being the conveyor of the infection. I regret to state that of this group of ten cases four deaths resulted. Pulmonary Tuberculosis. —281 cases occurred, as against 414 in the previous year ; this despite the fact that all returned soldiers suffering from this disease in the South Island are treated in the Canterbury Health District, and that civilian cases, in addition, are treated from the Nelson and Marlborough Districts. The incidence proved 1-07 per 1,000 population.