9

D.—3

No. 3. The Agent-Geneeal to the Local Govbenment Boaed. Sie > — 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 17th December, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, and to thank the Local Government Board for the information which you have been good enough to give me. I hear with great pleasure that the Board are contemplating the institution of an'organized system for collecting information respecting the health of emigrants, and that Dr. Blaxall is to communicate with me on the subject. I shall be most happy to give any assistance I possibly can towards a system which is sure to lead to such good results; and I propose, as one of the means of helping in this matter, to transmit to you in future copies of the reports from my Surgeons-Super-intendent of the events on each voyage as they reach me. The first of these reports will go to you in a few days. ! have; &c#j The Assistant Secretary, Local Government Board. F. D. Bell.

No. 4. The Boaed of Trade to the Agent-Genebal. Sir,— Board of Trade (Marine Department), Whitehall Gardens, Ist December, 1883. _ I am directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 13th ultimo, in which you ask that the report of the Commission appointed by His Excellency the Governor of New Zealand to inquire into the circumstances connected with the outbreak of typhoid fever on board the " Oxford " might be referred to the Board's officers at Plymouth and Cardiff for their observations. In reply lam to state that the report in question has been referred to the Board's principal officers at the above-named ports, and to enclose herewith, for your information, copies of the observations thereon which have been received from those officers. I have, &c, Sir Francis Dillon Bell, K.C.M.G. Thomas Geay.

Sub-Enclosure A. Board of Trade Surveyor's Office, Cardiff, 22nd November, 1883. Pie "Oxford."—ln reply to M. 21543/83, as to the fouling of the bilges in emptying the water-tanks at this port, I can only reiterate the various statements contained in my reports previously forwarded the Board. Everything that could be was done at this port to thoroughly disinfect the ship. I would call especial attention to M. 7528, in which Dr. Spooner reports the ship was " thoroughly disinfected before he left Cardiff," the bilges receiving very careful attention. I drank a quantity of the water from the tanks, and suffered no ill effects, and at present have samples that are perfectly clear and free from sediment. I remember hearing many years ago of the case of one of Her Majesty's ships which, owing to fever, was disinfected, but, finding it again broke out, she was sunk, and this failed to rid her of the germs ; this vessel had ultimately to be broken up. The vessel was twice fumigated, bilges disinfected, bunks also; the bedding destroyed. Two medical men went thoroughly into the case, and I, as the emigration officer, spent much time in the solution of the difficulty, as will be seen by my numerous reports already referred to. W. H. Neate. The Assistant Secretary, Marine Department, Board of Trade.

Sub-Enclosure B. Plymouth, 20th November, 1883. Youb officers have no opportunity of observing the cleanliness or otherwise of the depot; they never go into the building, merely into a detached building used for the inspection of the emigrants. The depot, according to the statements recently made, appears to be entirely under the control of Mr. E. Smith, an employe, or other employes of the Agent-General. I think it my duty to state that a most careful examination was made of all the emigrants and crew of the "Oxford" by your Medical Officers, Drs. Eccles and Morris, and samples of the water were taken from each tank, which samples are still retained by me; they are at this moment perfectly clear, without any deposit. They were taken from each tank on the 26th April, 1883.- H. D. Grey. The Assistant Secretary, Marine Department, Board of Trade.

No. 5. The Agent-Geneeal to the Boaed of Trade. Sir,— 7, Westminster Chambers, London, S.W., 17th December, 1883. I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the Ist instant (M. 22210), enclosing, by direction of the Board of Trade, copies of reports from Mr. Neate, the Board s Surveyor at Cardiff, and Mr. H. D. Grey, the Board's officer at Plymouth ; and I have to return my thanks for the information which the Board have been good enough to give me. Adverting to the statements contained in Mr. Grey's letter, that the officers of the Board of Trade " have no opportunity of observing the cleanliness or otherwise of the depot, as they never go into the building, but merely into a detached building used for the inspection of the emigrants," and also that " the depot appears to be entirely under the control of employes of the Agent-General," I beg the permission of the Board to observe that I believe Mr. McKirby, one of the assistant officers of the Board, very lately went over the depot, and that Drs. Eccles and Morris, Medical Officers of the Board, are constantly in different parts of the building; and I feel satisfied that, if they had been asked by Mr. Grey to report, they would not have said that they had "no opportunity of observing the cleanliness or otherwise "of that establishment. Further, while the " Oxford" emigrants were in the depot after the ship's return to Cardiff, I have reason to believe that Dr

2—D. 3.