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H.—3la

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(3.) That each borough, town district, Hospital, Drainage, and Harbour Board within said district appoint one representative to a District Health Committee. (4.) That such District Health Committee maintain a Local Department of Public Health under the direction of a Medical Officer of Health having the qualifications of a District Health Officer as defined in the Public Health Act, 1908. (5.) That the Local Health Committee aforesaid appoint qualified Sanitary Inspectors in proportion as required by regulations made under the Public Health Act, 1908, such to be under the control of the Local Health Officer. (6.) That the Local Health Department be empowered and directed to carry out all the duties necessary for the preservation of public health within its district, apart from the care and management of hospitals and other health institutions. (7.) That the Local Health Officer report from time to time to the Government Health Officer of his district as to the work carried out or in progress by his Department. (8.) That where the Local Health Department fails to exercise any power necessary to be exercised, or carry out any statutory duty laid upon it, the Government Health Department to have authority to exercise the power neglected, and to do what the Local Health Department has failed to do at the cost of the Local Health Department. (9.) Each local body represented on the Local Health Committee to contribute its share of the costs of the Local Health Department in proportion to the interests served. (10.) That an annual conference be held of representatives of the Government Jlealth Department, the Local Health Committees, the Health Board, the Advisory Health Committees, and such private organizations as the Health Board may advise. The Efficiency of Quarantine Arrangements in New Zealand. The Commission visited the quarantine-stations at Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton, and Port Chalmers, and found that in each of the four places visited the arrangements were most primitive and inefficient, the buildings being old. dilapidated, and quite unfitted to meet present-day requirements. The question whether the expenditure necessary to adapt the buildings to what is now required is one that can be fully justified, inasmuch as the health of the people is a matter that must receive first consideration irrespective of the cost to the community. Motuihi at Auckland and Somes Island at Wellington are both good sites for quarantine-stations. The buildings on both, islands were erected nearly half a century ago, and while at the time of erection they were well adapted for the purposes required of them, the great increase in population that has taken place since then, and the much greater number of passengers and crews that are now carried by the large modern and up-to-date steamers trading to the Dominion, render it necessary to immediately increase the accommodation, and, in addition, to adapt the buildings both regarding ward accommodation and sanitary arrangements, and in both cases to provide an infectious or isolation hospital in which to place all serious infectious cases. The water-supply on both islands is defective, as apparently by sinking it is difficult to obtain water that is not brackish. Boring at Motuihi may succeed in finding water that is not brackish ; this should be done. Carrying water in tanks by steamers is far too unreliable and expensive. To overcome this difficulty large concrete reservoirs should be constructed as soon as possible near each of the large buildings, and if the roofs and spouting of all the buildings are kept in thorough repair so that no water will be allowed to run to waste an efficient rain-water supply should be by this means assured; and if an overhead concrete cistern were constructed, to which a windmill or oil-engine could pump the water from the main cisterns, water could by gravitation be carried to

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