A—4

Dental Clinic The staff consists of 1 European dental officer and 5 Native dental officers. The European dental officer has general supervision and direction of the Native dental officers, and is also responsible for training of cadets. The three cadets referred to in the previous report qualified during the year; the two Niueans returned to Niue, and the Samoan officer assumed the duties of a dental officer at the Apia Clinic. The European dental officer undertakes operative and surgical work of all types, having the right of _ private practice among the Euronean community, but the service to Samoans is free. Besides undertaking preventive treatment, the Native dental officers undertake extractions and scalings and surgical attention for Samoan children and adults and for all Samoan in-patients at the hospital. The Native dental officers also pay regular visits to the outlying districts of Upolu and Savai'i.

Infant Mortality Deaths (Samoans) at Different Ages

The infant-mortality rate has shown a further drop to the lowest figure yet recorded—viz., 53-8 per 1,000 births. A table setting ont the rate of deaths under one year per 1,000 registered births during the last twenty years is set out below: — 1926 .. 106 1933 .. .. 114 1940 .. .. 73-80 1927 .. 101 1934.. .. 104-8 1941 .. ..69-59 1928 58 1935 .. .. 97-0 1942 .. .. 72-69 1929 .. 70 1936 .. .. 291-77* 1943 .. .. 124-42 1930 .. 61 1937 .. .. 89-30 1944 .. .. 75-8 1931 .. .. HI 1938 .. .. 73-79 1945 .. .. 53-8 1932 .. .. 121 I 1939 .. .. 83-56 * Due to epidemics of whooping-cough and measles; see report for 193(5-37, page 22. XVIII. LAND TENURE Under the Samoa Act, 1921, all land is legally—(ft) Crown land, vested in the Crown free from Native title or any estate in fee-simple, of which there are (including New Zealand Reparation Estates) 103,630 acres; or

19

Number of Deaths. Percentage of Total Deaths. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. | 1945. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. Under 1 week 31 28 35 23 12 4-16 4-32 2-73 3-56 2-35 1 week to 1 month 19 10 19 Hi 4 2-55 1-54 1-49 1-70 0-77 1 month to 3 months 19 11 43 22i 17 2-55 1-71 3-36 3-39 3-33 3 months to 6 months 24 31 55 22 11 3-22 4-79 4-30 3-39 215 6 months to 12 months 61 64 143 86 65 8-19 9-89 11-18 13-32 12-72 1 year to 2 years 2 years to 3 years 3 years to 4 years 4 years to 5 years 5 years to 10 years Over 10 years 97 68 173 711 70 13 02 10-52 13-53 10-98 13-70 43 38 67 18| 24 5-77 5-86 5-24 2-78 4-70 21 26 47 19 16 2-82 4-02 3-67 2-93 313 19 9 19 9 5 2-55 1-39 1-49 1-38 0-98 55 37 74 481 31 7-38 5-72 5-79 7-42 6-07 356 325 (504 318' 256 47-79 50-24 47-22 49-15 50-10 Totals 745 ! 647 1,279 647: ! 511 100-00 100-00 100-00 100-00 100-00