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The people of Mauke are very dirty in their habits, probably more so than in the other islands of the Group which I have visited. They erect a very poor and mean type of house, sometimes of " nikau," supplemented with wood from crates and packing-cases, and patched with pieces of old biscuit or kerosene tins; sometimes of purau very badly put up; and occasionally of stone and lime. Some of the wooden buildings are built on high piles, but the family, instead of living in the house proper, dwells underneath the same, the spaces between the piles being filled in with purau stakes. These sub-domiciliary dens are indescribably filthy, dark, and noisome. The general aspect of the straggling villages is miserable in the extreme. No attempt is made at clearing a patch or making any sort of a garden round the wretched hovels, and pigs grub around the old tins and coconut-husks in the mud or dirt in their immediate vicinity. The water-tanks which were erected last year , in the two settlements have proved a great boon, and are much taken advantage of. The most urgent reform now to be advocated is an improvement in the type of dwelling. Mauke is a low-lying and to s-ome extent swampy island, the soil of which is a tenacious red earth which does not readily allow surface water to pass away, but forms a clinging red mud. It is imperative, therefore, that in the interests of health the houses should be raised on piles. In my opinion the Administration might do a great deal for the Natives by elaborating designs for suitable types of houses, providing estimates of cost, and generally advising and assisting the Natives. A suitable type of Native house need not be costly or difficult to erect, and should conform to the following conditions : (1) It should be raised fnom the ground on piles; (2) the floor should be of wood; (3) the walls should be boarded up, say, ft., and from this height to the eaves louvred or latticed; (4) roof should be " rau " (nikau or pandanus) preferably, otherwise iron. If the Administration were prepared to advise and assist Natives, building regulations should be framed prohibiting the erection of any new buildings, or the alteration of any existing one, until the plans have been approved hy the Government Engineer. By providing a good water-supply, insisting upon the erection of a good type of dwelling, and inculcating, or enforcing if necessary, habits of cleanliness among the Natives, some real good will be done for the Maori population of these Islands. Mitiaro. The full force of the hurricane was not experienced on this island. There was a big blow, however, which knocked over a few coconuts and most of the bananas. Beyond the fact, therefore, that there is a shortage of bananas as food, the people are no worse off than if there had been no hurricane. There was no European food at the time of my visit, but this was not directly due to the hurricane. I did not discover any cases of acute illness, and the health of the island is good, the people presenting a well-nourished appearance. Atiu. On this island, although practically all the houses in the settlements have been demolished, there is no distress among the Natives. No epidemic diseases prevail, and the health of the island is, in fact, better than at any of my previous visits. Manuae. Mr. Hobbs reported that none of his labourers were sick, and that the island was well supplied with food. In conclusion, I may say that the hurricane has in none of the islands affected adversely the health of the inhabitants, for the present at any rate. Many of the old insanitary dwellings having been blown down, a suitable opportunity presents itself for enforcing building regulations, so that old errors may not be repeated. I have, &c, A. R. Maolurkin, The Chief Medical Officer. - Assistant Medical Officei .

Report of the Fbuit Inspector. Sir,— Bth May, 1914. I have the honour to submit herewith my report for the year ended 31st March, 1914 : — Export Fruit Inspection. This work is on a good basis, and the system of inspection is as thorough as it is possible to carry out. Moreover, fruit is under our control and supervision until placed in the lighters for shipment, hence the possibility of fruit unsuitable for export is remote. A few prosecutions for fraudulent packing were heard before the High Court, and fines ranging from £2 to £3 were inflicted with good effect. Regulations. The following regulations were brought into force during the year : (1) Restricting the hours for receiving fruit for inspection before shipment; (2) compulsory registration of marks; (3) preventing inferior fruit-cases being used for export; (4) controlling indifferent marking of fruit-cases. These regulations are working smoothly, and proving of benefit to the industry.