H.—3l

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PAET C—CANTERBURY AND WESTLAND DISTRICT. Water-supply. The reticulation of the Central, St. Albans, and Linwood Wards has been completed all but two miles in the St. Albans Ward. The total length of mains to date is 96 miles 23 chains. In Sydenham also 22 miles are laid, and the completion is now being proceeded with. There are 2,sllflhouses in Sydenham connected with the old separate high-pressure water-supply in that district, and 1,241 houses in the rest of Christchurch connected with the new high-pressure water-supply. About 75 fresh connections are being made every week. Drainage. Thirteen miles of sewers have been laid during the year. There are now 8,000 houses connected with the sewers," of which 5,380 contain water-closets. During the year 1,363 houses were connected with the sewer, and 1,774 water-closets were fixed in 1,630 houses during the year. Owing to the installation of the water-supply there has been a, great increase in the number of house-connections and waterclosets installed. Steam Disinfector. The disinfector which had been installed at the Sanatorium has been removed to the Christchurch Hospital. It will now be possible to get clothing, &c, which has been exposed to infection properly disinfected. Lyttelton. The drainage scheme was completed during the year, and now every house in the borough is connected with the sewers. Inspector Kershaw had charge of the general supervision of the house connections. ASHBURTON. The installation of the high-pressure water-supply has been commenced. Timaru. All the houses in the northern part of the town have been connected with the drainage scheme which was put in last year. The septic tank and main outfall sewer in the south end of the town have been completed. Sewers are now being put down in the southern part of the town, and the houses are being connected. Greater Timaru. The extension of the boundaries of the borough to include the watershed and practically all the suburban houses is now an accomplished fact. This will enable the sanitary administration of the suburbs to be greatly improved in regard to removal of nightsoil and rubbish, and sanitary matters generally. Hokitika. The high-pressure water-supply has been completed. Plans for a drainage scheme have been got out, and, with some modifications which will considerably decrease the cost, have been approved by me. Greymouth. A report was sent to the Borough Council by me on the 26th November, 1909, copy of which was sent to the Chief Health Officer. This report recommended the Council to insist on the pulling-down of buildings which had been certified to by the late Chief Health Officer as being unfit for occupation ; to pass up-to-date by-laws on house connections ; to have the construction of house connections properly supervised ; to insist on the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act with regard to space about building's being strictly complied with ; and other sanitary improvements. In Inspector Middleton's annual report he states that practically none of these recommendations have been attended to, and that the sanitary administration of the borough is still very lax. Sanitary Inspection of District. During the first half of the year Inspector Kershaw's time was largely taken up with the supervision of. house connections in Lyttelton and Timaru, arrangements having been made with these boroughs to pay the Department for his services. In September, after consultation with the Chief Health Officer, I commenced to approach local bodies with a scheme for the combination of local bodies to appoint joint Inspectors. As a result of these negotiations, Inspector Kershaw was appointed a Joint Inspector for the Borough of Sumner and the Road Boards of Heathcote and Spreydon. The other suburban local bodies did not agree to come into the scheme. Inspector McKenzie was transferred to Oamaru in November to act as Inspector for the Oamaru Borough Council, Waimate Borough and County Councils. Every endeavour has been made to induce the Waitaki County Council to administer the Public Health Act themselves, or to contribute to the salary of a Joint Inspector, or to delegate their powers to the Hospital Board under section 83 of the Hospitals Act; but the majority of the Council will take none of these steps. They cannot apparently see the advantage or necessity of taking any steps to carry out the administration of the provisions of the Public Health Act. This is a large district, with a population of about ten thousand ; there are several small townships in which cases of infectious disease often occur, and no steps are taken by the Council to prevent the spread of infectious disease, except to occasionally employ a person to disinfect the premises.