H.—3l.

From the attached table it will be seen that sickness among staffs is still a problem and that there is much yet to be done, particularly along preventive lines. While in London I was asked to become a member of the International Committee which is responsible for this study, and to be responsible for collecting the annual material from Australia. This should be of mutual help, as our conditions in some ways will be comparable. In the final report New Zealand is to be responsible for a thesis on the " Prevention of Common Ailments.

The above total includes such conditions as bronchitis (8), boils, septic fingers, &c. (171), colds, influenza, chills (318), diphtheria and diphtheria carriers (35), septic and sore throats (43), Erythema Nodosum (12), pleurisy (28), pneumonia (3), tonsillitis (155), tuberculosis (13). Post-graduate Course. This course originally began in 1928 and is continuing its very useful purpose. There were sixteen students in 1937, and seventeen students commenced in February, 1938. Of these, eight students have bursaries from Hospital Boards and four have bursaries from the Department. Recently the buildings have been renovated and additional book-cases have been added to house the expanding Grace Neill Library. Old students would be very pleased with the improvements. Nursing Education Committee. Early in 1938 this Committee met and has issued a very detailed questionnaire to all trainingschools covering the nursing of children. It has also organized an essay competition among the training-schools —the subject of the essay is to bear on preventive medicine each year. Tropical Nursing Service. Changes have taken place in several of the Island positions. Miss Roberts decided that for health reasons she would not return again to Apia, Western Samoa. Her decision was received with the greatest regret, as she had done excellent work while there. She was replaced by Miss Agnes Becker, from Greymouth. Miss Tanner's term of service at Niue Island having expired, she was replaced by Miss L. Hawkes, who had returned from Norfolk Island. In the same way Miss Paora's term having expired at Rarotonga, she was replaced by Miss V. McPhail. In addition, several Sisters have been seconded from New Zealand for service in Samoa and Fiji. The system continues to prove a useful and popular one as it gives experience in the handling of Native staffs to New-Zealanders and ensures a carefully chosen staff for the Islands. Interesting letters have been received from the New Zealand nurses serving on the staff of the Municipal Council in Shanghai. They had a very trying time during the bombardment in August, but they were all impressed by the excellent organization and the provision made for their care. Later they had most interesting experiences when seconded to the emergency infectious-diseases hospitals which were created to cope with the problems which were caused by the conditions of war. Observations from Abroad, with some Deductions for New Zealand Nursing Conditions. During my leave the Rockefeller Foundation arranged that I paid visits of observation to hospitals and public-health organizations in the following countries : United States of America, Canada, Great Britain, Poland, Finland, and Sweden. In comparing New Zealand conditions with those existing in any of the States of the United States of America or the Provinces of Canada there is no doubt that New Zealand has a much more adequate organization on a population basis both in regard to public health and hospital provision as the whole country is affected. On the other hand, there is much to be learned from the various experiments being carried out in schools of nursing and in public-health organizations. Great Britain, with its highly industrialized population and its many old voluntary organizations which are subsidized to carry out functions which in this country are the responsibility of the State, has problems and conditions which do not pertain to this country. In my opinion it is rather in Scandinavia, with its smaller and largely rural population, where the State "has had to assume the responsibilities which in Great Britain and the United States of America are carried by local authorities and voluntary organizations, that a similarity of problems have developed a service more akin to our own.

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I Nursing Staff. j Number of Staff sick. j Pupil Staff. | Trained Staff. J Total. ; Pupil Staff. j Trained Staff, j Total. I I i ! 1 1,757 664 2,421 1,069 181 1,250