H.—3a

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is a small range here, with boiler at back, and there is also a large copper which supplies hot water to the bath-room. The laundry is small, and opens into the kitchen. Behind this part of the hospital is a detached brick building, containing store-room, coalhouse, two closets, and a deadhouse. Still further back is an old wooden building covered with corrugated iron, and used occasionally as a feverhospital. This structure formerly served as a lunatic asylum; it contains one large and two small rooms, with a bath-room. I found beds occupied by eleven male and two female patients, all of whom were properly inmates of-the hospital: all appeared to be contented with the treatment they received. Inquiries were made as to the purchase of stores, and it was found to be done by means of printed orders, properly checked with the invoices ; everything is supplied under contract. Registers of both in- and out-patients are kept, and payments obtained at the rate of £1 10s. per week, wherever practicable. There is a regular diet-scale, but no case-book is kept, and no inventory of hospital property has been taken for two years. I saw a good stock of bed-clothing, and an excellent cabinet of surgical instruments. The Committee visit the wards daily, and evidently take much interest in the hospital. Dr. Gralbraith attends morning and evening, or oftener when required. The buildings are by no means well planned, but are made the most of. There is a deep well with force-pump for water-supply, and rain-water is also collected in large tanks. Liquid drainage runs away beyond the hospital grounds. The closets are emptied frequently, and the contents of the commodes are thrown, with other refuse, into an ash-pit: this is a bad plan and may be a source of danger. The grounds behind the hospital require to be cleared of a good deal of lumber when labour can be had for this purpose. The buildings generally appear to be in good repair. Ist February, 1883.

KUMABA. The hospital is situated close to the town. The building is a wooden one with iron roof, and is at present being enlarged by the erection of an additional male ward, with bath-room and closet. The accommodation, when completed, will include two good wards for males and one for females. There is a small dispensary, a bath-room, kitchen, nurses' room, and warder's room in the older part of the building. The warder's room will be destroyed by the passage leading to the new ward; and the proposed partitioning-off of a portion of this ward for another room is, in my opinion, a thing to be condemned, as it will entirely spoil the new building. A suitable room for the warder should be erected elsewhere. The wards are airy and cheerful. There are sash-windows and ceiling ventilators. The walls are painted, and there are green-holland blinds. Open fireplaces are arranged for burning wood. The bedsteads are of iron, some of them being shaky and dilapidated. Two flock mattresses are furnished to each bed. Each patient has also a flock pillow and two filled with feathers, The bedclothing I found to be very clean. Rocking and other chairs are provided, and tables with forms for meals, all of which are taken in the wards. Bedside lockers, with a shelf, are in use; and there are some unframed pictures on the walls. The bath-room is well fitted and supplied with cold water from an outside tank.. Adjoining it is a well-ventilated earth-closet. The kitchen is small, but well kept; there is no range, but a colonial oven, and good crockery is provided. The dinner to-day consisted of hashed beef, potatoes, cabbage, and rice pudding. There is a diet-scale, but it is not adhered to. The dispensary has a small stock of drugs, and a fair stock of surgical instruments, but not sufficient. Here the register of admissions is kept. I also found that a case-book contained a good history of each patient. These are admitted by ticket; but, practically, no one is refused. Subscribers pay £1 a year, and the sum of £1 10s. weekly is charged for maintenance in the hospital. Payments under this category seem to be infrequent. All goods are supplied under contracts. No proper order-book is in use, and I saw no inventory of hospital property. The Committee visit the hospital weekly. A good strip of land is cultivated and cropped with vegetables. The liquid sewage runs into an adjoining gully. Solid refuse is utilized in the garden. The rain-water is collected, and forms the only source of supply. The detached buildings include an open shed, used as a laundry; a mortuary; and two detached closets. My visit gave me a good impression. The wardsman and the nurse keep the hospital in excellent order ; and the Medical Officer takes much interest in his work. All the patients appeared to be comfortable and contented. The beds occupied were four in number (males). 19th February, 1883.

LAWBENCE (TITAPEKA). I hate this day made my inspection of this establishment, which is situated in grounds of about four acres, in a good position near the town. The hospital proper has only been built about three years, and replaced an old wooden structure. It is of red brick, with iron roof; and contains on one side a large ward for male patients, and on the other two smaller wards, one being for males and the other for females. In the centre are four smaller rooms —viz., the dispensary, the store-room, and the Steward's sitting-room and bedroom. The entrance-hall communicates, by means of a covered way, with a detached kitchen : this is fitted with a range and a boiler for supplying hot water to the baths, &c, but the arrangement does not work well. There is also a sink here, there being no scullery provided. A small wooden building in the rear is used as a Chinese ward, and has, at present, only one occupant. Three patients have been at one time in this ward, but it is too small for this number. Adjoining is an attendants' room. A brick building close by is used for a fever-ward, but is too small to accommodate more than two patients. In each corner of this structure is a small room —viz., a padded room, store-roomj-lavatory, and closet. The fever-ward would be much improved by throwing into it the space now occupied by the two latter, and reconstructing them in a small annexe. The padded room is very small, and is occasionally used, for some days together, for a lunatic patient. Persons of this class should be removed with the least possible delay to a proper asylum. The other detached buildings include a small laundry, a coal-shed, stable, mortuary, lumber-room, and two newly-erected brick closets. These are emptied daily, the soil being buried. The liquid drainage of the hospital runs through a trapped drain into a creek at some distance. There is no water-supply other than rain-water,