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fell into category A, 62 into category B, 87 into category C, and 31 into category D—that is to say, even in the larger factories, which, on the whole, have better standards than the smaller factories, less than half can be said to conform to Factories Act standards, which are in themselves minimum standards. Much of the Factories Act is couched in general terms, but there are certain specific requirements, such as those which lay down that soap and towels must be provided as part of the suitable facilities for washing; a lunch-room must be provided where there are more than six workers ; a rest-room shall be provided in factories where more than six women are employed ; all female workers whose work is done standing shall be provided with suitable facilities for sitting ; adequate and suitable accommodation shall be provided for clothing not worn during working-hours, and arrangements made for drying such clothing. On specific sections such as these, the majority of factories fail to come up the Factories Act. If one were to interpret strictly such general sections asrequire that a factory be kept in a clean state, that every room shall be ventilated to carry off all steam, fumes, dust, and other impurities, and that effective provision shall be made for securing and maintaining suitable lighting and a reasonable temperature,, an even higher proportion of factories would fail to conform to the Factories Act. The following districts have been visited : Wellington, Auckland, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Hastings, Mangakino, Christchurch, and Dunedin. In most of thesedistricts contacts were made with the local Medical Officer of Health, the factory inspectorate Department, the local employers' association, and the secretary of the Trades Council. Inspections in areas other than Wellington were carried out accompanied by representatives of one or other of these organizations. Industrial Health Nurses During the year, for the first time, an industrial nursing course was incorporated into the syllabus of the Post-graduate Nurses' Training-school. Three nurses took this course, and at the end of the year, when they had completed their training, two of these were appointed to the Health Department to work in the Wellington area. Up to the present the conception of an industrial nurse has been of a worker confining her activities within the sphere of a particular factory. There are some 36 such industrial nurses employed by private firms in the Dominion, and the establishments in which they work employ on an average 300 to 400 workers ; the largest,, a meat-works, employs over 1,000, and the smallest under 100. A nurse in these establishments undoubtedly does valuable work, but the tendency is for them to be appointed to those places where standards are already high, and it would seem preferable that the influence of such a highly trained person as a nurse should be spread over more than one factory and that she should operate, to start with, in those places which have low standards. There appears, in fact, a good case to be made for a nurse to work in an industrial area whose function will be rather like that of the health visitor who tries to raise the standards of health within the homes of a given area. The two nurses appointed in Wellington have had special training in blood examination of workers at risk from lead absorption and they will include among their duties the monthly blood examination of such workers, required under the Lead Processes Regulations. It is hoped in time that other groups of workers at special risk from health hazards, such, for example, as those in plating-shops, will be included under the regular supervision of the nurses, and that they will be available for any special work that may be required in looking after juveniles, pregnant women, or other physically handicapped workers.

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