H.—3l

6

In addition the Board has given consideration during the year to a variety of important subjects, including(a.) The control of surgical operations in hospitals : (b.) Maternal mortality in New Zealand (this matter aroused considerable public comment, and much interest was displayed in the Board's report on the subject) : (c.) Precautions against the introduction of plague, into the Dominion : (<l.) Tin 1 collection and disposal of refuse throughout the Dominion : (e.) Consideration of the Hospitals Amendment Bill. The services rendered so willingly by the members of the Board during the year are even now well worthy of public appreciation, and, if I may presume to prophecy, I feel that their future good work will more and more justify that wisdom which prompted the establishment of a Board of Health under the Act of 1920. Medical Peaotitioneks Act, 1.9.1.4. Five meetings were hold during the year by the Medical Board. The following table, covering the past live years, summarizes the Board's work so far as the granting of applications by medical men for registration, &c, are concerned :~ -

The work of the Medical Board is largely of a confidential nature, and involves inquiries into charges of misconduct which from time to time are made against medical practitioners : A number of such cases have been dealt with during the year. The Board has under consideration at the moment some suggested amendments to the Act which if passed into law should improve the present statute. Masseurs Registration Act. Six meetings of the Masseurs Registration Board constituted under the above Act were held during the year. At those meetings 174 applications for registration were considered, of which eleven were refused. The Board also held two examinations under the Act, nine candidates presenting themselves, of whom seven were successful. To date 279 names have been entered on the register. 'Plumbers Registration Act, 1912. Two meetings of the Plumbers' Board constituted under the above Act were held during the year. Examinations under the Act were held in July and November. At the July examination 120 candidates presented themselves for the theoretical portion, and 101 for the practical, the results being that, thirty-five candidates passed in the theoretical and thirty-three in the practical, whilst twentyeight qualified for registration, and their names were duly placed on the register. At the November examination 110 candidates presented themselves for the theoretical part and 111 for the practical part, the pass results in each case being thirty-eight and forty-eight respectively. Forty-three qualified for registration, and. had their names duly recorded on the register. To date the names of 1,424 plumbers have been entered in the register, and thirty-two names removed through death. During the year 1,129 pocket certificates of registration were issued. T. H. A. Valintine, Director-General of Health. PART lI.—PUBLIC HYGIENE. SECTION I.—VITAL STATISTICS. Population. The population of New Zealand at the census of 17th April, 1921, was 1,218,913. This total does not include, Maoris, whose numbers were separately determined as 52,751. These figures show that the white population of the Dominion has increased by some 11 per cent, since the preceding census of 1916, while the Maori population has increased by approximately 6 per cent, during the same period.

I " " i 1917. 1918. i 1919. 1920. 1921. i " " " " ~" i I 969 30 3 17 985 4-8 3 20 1.015 71* 5 25 1.061 60f 4 10 Number on register on 1st January .. 962 Number added during year by registration I 27 Number added during year by restoration I Number removed during year on evidence 21 of death Number removed during year by direction of Medical Board- - Letter not delivered and returned to 'Registrar-General Reported dead Number removed during year by direction of Supreme Court 1 -10 2 7 Number on register on 31st December .. : 969 I 985 1,015 1,064 1,071 i * Includes 30 with Now Zealand qualifications. •j- Includes 28 with New Zealand qualifications.