E.—4

4

examining the lavatory drain, which runs under this floor, we found it rusted through and leaking, so that the waste water from the lavatory had been accumulating under the floor. All the woodwork was decayed, and covered with white fungus. Both the design and the material of the drains were as bad as they could be. All this has now been remedied : fifty-nine loads of clean sand have been filled into the hollow ground, and covered with a strong layer of asphalt. The floor has been raised 18 in., and the schoolroom is comparatively wholesome, except that the woodwork is tainted, and, being old, it is impossible to disinfect it completely. We have purified it as well as we could. Neither the main building nor the large schoolroom are in a sanitary condition. They both stand on piles, and in both the ground underneath is generally from 8 in. to 9 in. lower than the ground outside. A concrete foundation, well ventilated, would make both buildings healthier and warmer, and last much longer. I have gone into some details, in order to show the advisability of building the new school on the higher ground as soon as possible. The only other cases worth mentioning were two dislocations of the shoulder from falls, which I reduced without further trouble. The following is a classification of all the principal cases of illness during the year 1899 : —

I have, &c, W. H. Symes, M.D. Approximate Cost of Paper.—Preparation, not given; printing 1,675 copies), £2 6r.

By Authority: John Mackat, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9oo. Price 3d.]

March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. Diphtheria Tonsillitis Ulcerated throat Gastritis Eubeola Abscess Otitis Pleurisy PI euro-pneumonia Anaemia Adenoids Dislocation 3 4 2 2 10 3 1 1 1 1 1 4 2 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ■■■» 1 1