HEALTH INSPECTION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 143, 2 June 1936, Page 3

HEALTH INSPECTION

Wo Additional Officer for Napier DEPARTMENT’S STAND The Department of Health has decided not to appoint an additional health inspector in Napier. The Mayor Mr C. 0. Morse, reported last night to councillors that while in Wellington lecently he discussed the matte with the Director-General of Health, Dr M. 11. Watt, who told him that th c Napier district seemed to him to be quite well covered. However, in the event of any local body withdrawing from the present scheme the matter might be reconsidered. The.council received a copy of a letter written by the Director-General of Health to the Hou. W. E. Barnard and to Mr E. L. Cullen, M.P. In this letter the director-general stated: — “Following the appointment in about 1923 by the Hawke’s Bay County Council of a sanitary inspector ‘the eyes’ were picked out of the district, and the departmental inspector, stationed in Napier, had only a small portion of his work dose at hand, and had to travel many miles to attend to the remainder. He dealt, as before with the Taradalo and Havelock North town districts, and had to travel 32 miles before reaching the boundary of his nearest other local authority—Waipawa County. Waipukurau and Patangata countiea were at still greater distances. This most inconvenient arrangement was allowed to continue for some years, and the inspector also occupied his time by food-sampling in the NapierHastings area and the inspection ot licensed hotels. This latter is more properly the work of the local authority, which receives the very substantial licensing fees. “The earthquake of 1931 delayed any change, and the departmental inspector remained and gave considerable gratuitous assistance to the local authorities, as well as attending to his routine work. By July, 1932, it was obvious that his retention in Napier was unnecessary and unduly expensive, and he was accordingly transferred elsewhere. Arrangements were made for the county inspector to carry out necessary work in the Taradale town district, and the Havelock North Town Board hasince appointed its own sanitary inspector.

“The local authorities of the area, us elsewhere, carry out inspections of licensed hotels, and the Napier and Hastings borough inspectors do the necessary milk sampling. This also is in agreement with the practice in other cities and large boroughs. This arrangement has, in the main, worked satisfactorily for nearly tour years, and has resulted in the saving of considerable unnecessary expense. "The Town 6|erk has advanced no valid reason for the granting of the request beyond the absence of an ‘inspector between Wairoa and Palmerston North. There is of course a departmental inspector at Dannevirke ' who works the district as far north as I the boundary of Hawke’s Bay County and comes within 32 miles of Napier Within the geographical area of Hawke's Bay County there are live sanitary inspectors appointed by local authorities: Napier Borough, two inspectors; tsistings Borough, one inspector; both whole time. Hawke’s Bay County one inspector; Havelock North Town District, one inspector; both part time. “I have said -enough to show that Napier, so far as the services of a departmental medical officer are, concerned, is no worse off than Wangatui, Palnjerston North, Nelson, I iinaru or Invercargill. It is considered that the present system, whercunder a school medical officer is stationed in Napier and frequent visits are paid by the medical olii er 01 health Wellington provides m adequate medical service. “The la k ot a health inspector is due t< h pec-uliai ciri unistanees ,n Hawke s Bay. The individual local au thorities —i.e., the boroughs of Napier and Hastings, Havelock North town district and Hawke’s Bay County—have elected to appoint their own oCcers in lieu of contributing towards the

salary and expenses of a departmental officer, and there is therefore no justification for the location of a health inspector in Napier.”