PUBLIC HEALTH.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 111, 12 May 1909, Page 8

PUBLIC HEALTH.

RE-ORGANISING THE DEPARTMENT. I The Minister in charge of the Public Health Department (Hon. D. Buddo) had a few words to say to a Post reporter this morning />u ihe subject of the reorganisation of the Department, the' first item in which is the retirement of the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Mason) and hii, | appointment to a position in London. "The retirement of the head of the Department," rbaid t)he .Minister, "ie purely a question of administration. So far as the work of the Public Health j Department is concerned it will be carS ried on under the same or fcimilar con- | ditions as at present, with due regard to the special services to be rendered ' to Jocal authorities on the question of sanitation or the building of hospitals., or the accommodation for the sick. The ' work that has been done in the past has evidently been done so well that public attention has rarely been drawn to the work of this important department. Every day fresh work has to be taken in hand ; local bodies throughout the Dominion are continually making provision either for improvements involving sanitary alterations or the building end accommodation in connection with hospitals, and other works, and it must be considered tha.t the work oi the department has met with the approval of those with whom it has come in contact. There is no intention to in any way reduce the services rendered by the department. So far no general scheme of reorganisation has been drawn up, but it is fully intended that the public seivice shall not in any way suffer by the proposed re-oiganisation."

The City Tramways Engineer has informed the Biooklyn Municipal Electors' Association that the gear for the special car to be built for the Brooklyn section by way of trial had been ordered, and i& expected shortly. The present drastic restriction placed on the number of travellers on Brooklyn trams was discussed by the association at its last meeting, and it was decided that a deputation wait upon the chief engineer of the Public Works Department, to enquire whether some modification of the restriction could not be made to allow of a certain percentage of "straphangers," as the Tramway Engineer had reported, in answer to the association, that this could be done with j-afety. It was also agreed to wait on the Tramways Committee to further urge the necessity of extending the present dangerous town terminus of the line to the (i.P.0.. and need of the extension of the system into the district ; also to again ask that the much needed shelter filed be erected on the Ohira-road, opposite the police fetation, as recommended by the tramway manager. The butcheva' annual "social" will bo held in th« Drill Hall, Petone, on Friday nvoniuff.