H.—3l

8

by the patients —a distance of one mile or so. In either case it cannot be so large an item in the patient's dietary as one might desire; but, as they are not supposed to be invalids in the strict sense, perhaps this is not a very serious defect. I think a special allowance, however, of £60 a year should be made for milk-supply if fresh milk is to be considered essential. This amount would be about the same for Taupo or Rotorua, the cartage at the latter place being higher, but the price of milk probably lower. Eggs and, Poultry can be raised at the camp—and this is a direction in which considerable economy can be effected. A small allowance, however, should be made for the cost of upkeep of the poultry-farm. Horse-feed, is expensive, especially at Taupo. I can only guess at the amount. Fuel can be obtained on the ground at Taupo. I am uncertain as to the Rotorua site; possibly a few miles' cartage may be necessary. Lighting can only be by kerosene-lamps and candles. The cost should be covered, by the £40 per head I am allowing for general maintenance. Drugs should not be a very serious item, beyond malt and oil, antiseptics for sputum mugs, and suchlike. I think £20 a year should cover this. Salaries. — The Cook would require to be efficient, and probably it would be difficult to get a man to come to such a camp at all. His wages would be not less than £2 10s. a week, especially if he were to bake bread. Bread can be obtained locally at Taupo, or can be left by coach at Rotorua; but it would probably be better, in the event of the camp growing to a large size, to erect an oven, as is done at the prison camp. I have not allowed for this in the cost of establishment, as it is a matter which could best be decided upon later. Medical Officer. —In the event of a camp being established eight or nine miles from Rotorua, it would be possible to subsidise a medical man in that town to come out once a week to examine the patients, and to come if required for urgent cases. Perhaps a subsidy of £100 a year would cover this, though more probably he would require special fees for coming at other times than the regulation visit. At Taupo there is no medical man resident, and a salary of, say, £500 would be required there to engage him as permanent superintendent. Possibly an arrangement might be made to subsidise a man —say, at £300 a year —to visit the camp two or three days in the week and act as general superintendent, allowdng him private practice as well. This, however, would be less easily arranged. In the event of the camp growing to considerable dimensions, a medical man as manager would be necessary. Subsidy to Manager. —ln the event of no medical resident being appointed, it would be advisable to pay a suitable patient a sum of, say, £25 a year to act as steward, clerk, &c 4. Site. The question of a suitable site resolves itself practically into two issues—a site at Lake Rotokakahi, about eight miles from Rotorua, along the Waiotapu Road, and another about three miles from Taupo Village. With Mr. Matthews I visited the Kaingaroa Plains, where the Galatea Road crosses them, six miles or so from Waiotapu. This place is very bleak and wind-swept, and the outlook is depressing—an item, I think, to which some weight must be given in choosing a camp for these semiinvalids. So far as the officers of the Forestry Department are concerned, I believe they are prepared to fall in with our choice, but would prefer that it be as close as practicable to the nurseries at Rotorua, as the cost of supervision and of cartage of trees, and so on, would thereby be minimised. But Mr. Kensington assures me that they would offer no objection if we did decide on the Taupo end, especially as the land there is suitable for afforestation, and this must be done by some one at no distant date. They, therefore, would find work done by our patients at Taupo as acceptable as any other scheme. So far as Waimarino is concerned, I think we can regard that as out of the question. The climate there is much wetter than in the lake district, and it is very bleak and wind-swept, being the south-western aspect of the great central ranges. Mr. Matthews did not view it favourably from the tree-planting aspect either. ' On the other hand,, the climate of all that area of pumice country from Taupo north-eastwards to Rotorua is comparatively dry and bracing, and, though there is a good deal of frost in winter, snow does not lie on the ground as at Waimarino. Mr. Bates, of the Meteorological Department, has kindly prepared a report for me on the climates of these different districts. This report shows that Taupo has decidedly the advantage as regards total rainfall, and, what is perhaps more important, the number of days on which rain fell. Taupo is certainly drier; otherwise the difference in climate between the high lands near Lake Rotokakahi and the Taupo neighbourhood is not very great, and both have the same dry subsoil. Probably the presence of so large a body of water at Taupo has an effect on the temperature, keeping it more equable, as in seaside places. Certainly there is no question of the invigorating effects at this place, and for cheerfulness of outlook and general beauty it cannot be surpassed. I did not visit the actual proposed site at Lake Rotokakahi, but Mr. Matthews assures me the scenery there is pretty, and the slopes of the lake sheltered from the colder winds. The area there available is about 6,000 acres—enough to keep twenty men going for five or six years. At Taupo, the country which Mr. Kensington marked for me on the map as being available, consists of two large blocks of land, one on each side of the Waikato River. The first runs from the Terraces Hotel round the base of the Tauhara Mountain, and is bounded by the Waikato River