H.—3la

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REPORT. To His Excellency the Governor-General. May it please Your Excellency,— We have the honour to report that we entered upon the duties imposed upon us by the Commission at as early a date as was practicable after its issue. Sittings held. Sittings at which evidence was taken were held in the four principal cities of the Dominion on the dates following : — At Auckland, on the 17th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 25th, 27th, and 28th February, and on the 3rd and 4th March. On the 26th February the Commissioners visited and inspected various parts of the city, and on. the 23rd February they made a visit of inspection to the quarantine-station at Motuihi Island. At Wellington the sittings resumed on the 10th March, and were continued on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th. The Commissioners inspected household property in various portions of the city on the 18th, and visited the quarantine-station at Somes Island on the morning of the 14th March. At Christchurch, the Commission took evidence on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, and 28th March, and also visited the quarantine-station at Quail Island on the morning of the 28th March. At Dunedin the sittings for the purpose of taking evidence were held on the 31st March and on the Ist, 2nd, and 3rd April. The Commissioners visited the Quarantine Island, Port Chalmers, on the 2nd April. On returning to Christchurch the Commissioners, for the purpose of investigating the evidence and preparing the report, sat from day to day from the 7th to the 26th April, and the final sittings in Wellington were from the 28th April to the 10th May, when the report as drafted was approved for presentation. Notification of Sittings. As a preliminary to our sittings in each city we caused advertisements to be inserted in the local daily newspapers announcing the Commission, and inviting all persons interested to attend and give evidence or make such representations as they desired. We also gave direct invitations to medical scientists and practitioners, representatives of the British Medical Association, Municipal Corporations, Hospital and Charitable^ Aid Boards, the Government Health Department, District Health Officers and Inspectors, the Order of St. John (Association and Brigade), Nursing Associations, Port Health Officers, Quarantine Officers, Harbour Boards, shipping companies, Federated Seamen's Union, Trades and Labour Councils, Citizens' Epidemic Committees, and other associated persons to attend and give evidence either orally or by way of official documents. Course of Sittings. At the first sitting in Auckland the question was submitted by Mr. J. Stanton, City Solicitor of Auckland, on behalf of the Mayor and Council, whether the Auckland City Corporation might be represented before the Commission by counsel. A similar request was made by the Hon. G. W. Russell, Minister of Public Health, at Wellington on behalf of the Department of Public Health. The Commission ruled upon both references that it could not allow representation by counsel, as statements of the issues referred to the Commission were unnecessary, and the Commission itself was fully competent to examine upon all evidence submitted to it. The Commission, however, in order that no information of material importance might be excluded, allowed any person interested to submit questions to the