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Geraldine in September, the disease spreading through the carelessness of an hotelkeeper, but it did not spread beyond about half a dozen houses. In December a good number of cases occurred ; u Oamaru, and in January there was an epidemic in the Maori pa at Temuka. The disease did not become at all widespread in Christchureh until March, when a large number of children attending the infants' class at the Richmond School became infected. A circular was sent to the schoolmasters in Christchureh and district drawing their attention to the early s3 T mptoms of the disease, and to the importance of not allowing any children to attend the school who had any symptoms of illness, or in whose family there was any infectious disease. The schoolmasters were also requested to inform me of any outbreak of the disease among the children attending their school that came to their knowledge. As, with the exception of Woolston, I received no replies to my circular, I presume that the disease has not become widespread in other parts of Christchurch. Mortality. The mortality from the above-mentioned infectious diseases lias been slight, there having been 2 deaths from scarlet fever and 2 from diphtheria. Dangerous Infectious Diseases. No cases in the class of dangerous infectious diseases have occurred in the district during the year. Infectious-diseases Hospitals. Bottle Lake Hospital. —This Hospital continues to serve the useful purpose of providing sufficient accommodation and isolation for cases of infectious disease in non-epidemic times. There were 50 cases of scarlet fever and 6 cases of measles treated there during the year, which shows that a considerable proportion of the 81 cases of scarlet fever have made use of the Hospital, in some cases under pressure from this Department, but in an increasing number of cases, voluntarily. Ashburton. —The old building where cases of infectious disease have hitherto been isolated has been reconstructed, and two wards added. The sanitary arrangements have also been made satisfactory. The building is now much more suitable for the treatment and isolation of cases of infectious disease, and more adapted to the needs of the district. Four cases of scarlet fever, ] of diphtheria, and 2 of measles have been treated during the year. Timaru. —There has fortunately been little need to make use of the Talbot Hospital for infectious diseases; 8 cases of scarlet fever were treated there during the year. Oamaru. —No cases of infectious disease were treated at the annex for infectious diseases. Tuberculosis. The number of notifications received during the year from all sources was 120, as compared with 108 last year. Eighty-nine notices of death from tuberculosis were received at this office, and for the year ended the 31st December, 1906, there were 28 deaths from phthisis in Christchurch, as compared with 44 in 1905, and 42 in 1904. Canterbury Sanatorium for Consumptives. " The Public Health Amendment Act, 1906," which was intended to provide for the combination of the Hospital Boards in the Canterbury District for the purpose of the erection and maintenance of the Sanatorium by these Boards, proved on investigation to be useless for this purpose. The South Canterbury Hospital Board have, as far as informal assurances can go, bound themselves to do their share in the erection and maintenance of the Sanatorium, and the Ashburton Hospital Board are, I believe, willing to do their share ; but owing to the defects in the Act the actual combination of the three Boards cannot take place until the Act has been amended, neither can the contributions due from the South Canterbury and Ashburton Hospitals Boards be obtained. The Executive Committee have, however, called for tenders and accepted a (ontract for the erection of the main and sub-administrative blocks, nurses' home, and the laundry, at a cost of £9,268. The foundation-stone of the institution was laid on the 20th March by the Hon. William Hall-Jones, Acting-Premier. During the last 3'ear the site has been levelled and a road constructed; a reservoir had been constructed on the highest portion of the site, and a plant for pumping water up to the reservoir had also been installed. Everything was in readiness therefore for the builder to commence work straight-away. The plans which were finally adopted were the result of many conferences between the architects and the Plans Sub-committee of the Sanatorium Executive Committee. The sub-committee was also indebted to Dr. Makgill for much advice as the result of Ids experience at Cambridge and consumptive annexes in course of erection in other parts of the colony. The amount of money in hand with the subsidy—namely,' £11,500 —although sufficient to provide for the payment of present contracts and expenses already incurred, will not be sufficient to provide the necessary engineering plant, lighting, furnishing, <fec.j but the proportion of money that is due from the South Canterbury and Ashburtou Hospital Districts will, on present calculation, be almost sufficient to provide for those necessaries. It is to be hoped, therefore, that some time before the end of this year the institution will be in full working-order. The patients from the Nurse Maude Camp will then be moved up there. Unfortunately the Managing Committee thought it advisable for various reasons to close the women's camp, so that only the men's camp is now performing the useful function of affording accommodation for consumptives until the Sanatorium is available.