H,— 3l

services had to terminate. Dr. Parker was appointed as Third Medical Officer, and arrived just at the time of Dr. Tovey's ill health and has been on the staff some four months. We have had, in view of Dr. Tovey's ill health, a succession of locum tenens, and although we have had very valuable help a locum tenens is not likely to prove as helpful as a permanent medical officer owing to the fact that his period of service is usually very short. " Nursing Staff. —The housing-conditions of the nursing staff are satisfactory, but with the ncreased number of nurses now required to deal with the shortened hours the home tends to become crowded and should the institution develop much further it would be necessary to give consideration for increased accommodation for the nursing staff. There has been a number of changes in the nursing staff during the year, and lately some little difficulty has been experienced in obtaining the services of trained staff, but with the increased salaries this difficulty should now be overcome. " Male Staff. —There have been few changes except one very important one in the transfer of Mr. Chappell, House Manager, to Head Office. Mr. Chappell served the hospital for some twenty years, and his work had been very valuable, and as his knowledge of the requirements of the institution was great it was inevitable that on his transfer his services would be missed. Mr. Richards has been appointed from the Dunedin Hospital in Mr. Chappell's place. " Dental Service. —The dental work at the hospital has been carried on by the dental surgeon, Mr. Arthur Suckling, who visits the hospital at intervals or on request, and his work and assistance continue to be very much appreciated. " Massage Department. —This section of the institution has been kept very busy, and the number of out-patients seeking treatment continue to increase. The work of the staff is satisfactory, and the equipment is in good order. " Electric-light Supply. —There has been continued further demand for electric energy, but the plant is now fully loaded, if not somewhat overloaded, and any further extension of power to the village has had to be refused. The production of electrical energy has become a very serious problem, and it will have to be faced definitely by the Department in the very near future. There has been some tentative discussion in respect of bringing the Lake Coleridge supply to Hanmer Springs. This is a problem which will become acute with the building of the new hospital. " Water Service. —This has given a great deal of trouble and has been a continual source of anxiety. Considerable investigations were carried out during the year, and various schemes for improvement were experimented with, and it has been decided to improve the intake of the present reservoir, and work on. this has been commenced. This is likely to bring about a definite improvement in the supply and to do away with the difficulty of the reservoir being ' choked' with shingle. " Grounds in the Public Gardens. —A satisfactory amount of care and attention to the public gardens and grounds has been carried out, and they continue to be a source of interest and pleasure, both to the patients and to the travelling public, and I am more than satisfied they are justified of the work and expense which is involved in them. " Farm. —The farm work has been carried on satisfactorily, and it has been necessary, of course, to increase the staff of the farm in order to conform with the shortened hours, and this will eventually reflect on the price of the milk to the hospital. The farm still continues to supply very satisfactorily all milk and a certain number of vegetables and potatoes to the institution throughout the year. The'farm buildings and fences are satisfactory, and stock is in good condition. " Bath-house and Swimming-pools. —Investigations during the last year into the mineral-water supply for the bath-houses and swimming-pools continued to be carried out, and a new bore put down to some 250 ft., and one of the old bores was extended from 180 ft. to 250 ft. The result of this was a marked increase of water, which slackened off during the year, but still left a considerably augmented supply, and this supply has undoubtedly justified an increase in the swimming-pools. There is no doubt in my mind that improvements in the pools and bath accommodation will have to be considered in the very near future. The demand on the pools and bath facilities has increased with the increasing number of visitors to Hanmer, and there is also the dissatisfaction _in the rather antiquated facilities which still exist. " Tea Kiosk. This continues to be of service to the public, and manages to maintain itself satisfactorily on its running-expenses. " Maintenance. —General maintenance of the buildings has been carried out, but with the male hospital little has been done, in view of the fact that the new hospital is under consideration. " I wish to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation of the work done by and the support I have received from the senior members of the staff during the year, in which there have been many changes from the administrative point of view. " I wish to take this opportunity of thanking you for your help and consideration, and for the assistance which Ī have received at all times from the officers of Head Office." During the year Mr. Johnson, Technical Inspector, was granted holiday leave to proceed to England, and the information he collected during his visit is proving of immense value to the Department. R. A. Shobe, Director, Division of Hospitals,

o- H. 31.

33