21

H.—3l

Table 3.—Legal Proceedings for Year 1929. Number of Amount. Prosecutions. £ s. d. Milk below standard .. .. .. 56 280 19 0^ Milk, added water .. .. .. .. 25 143 9 2 Ice-cream below standard .. .. .. 14 55 10 6 Butter below standard .. .. .. .. 2 680 Spirits not true to label .. .. .. .. 7 186 8 7 Spirits below standard .. .. .. .. 3 59 18 0 Cream below standard .. .. .. .. 2 7 16 10 Preservative in milk .. .. .. .. 1 5 18 6 Preservative in cream .. .. .. .. 1 4130 Baking-powder below standard .. .. .. 1 11 0 8 Selling cream from unlabelled container .. .. 2 8 19 6 Food Premises (Reg. H. 125) .. .. .. .. 6 16 11 0 Plumbing and Drainage Regulations .. .. .. 1 5 10 0 Private Hospitals Regulations .. .. .. 1 3 110 Plumbers Registration Act ~ .. .. .. 2 2120 Section 11, Poisons Act .. .. .. .. 1 3J3 0 125 £802 18 9| Particulars op Work carried out at the Government Vaccine-station, Wellington, during the Year ended 31st March, 1930. Dr. Lynch, the Director, reports as follows :— Calves inoculated, 8 ; calves rejected, nil; amount of lymph prepared, sufficient for 22,000 tubes ; vaccine issued in tubes, 7,200 ; vaccine lymph in stock, equivalent to 18,000 tubes. It will be noted that the number of calves inoculated is considerably less than we were in the custom of doing before the Frigidaire was available. There has not been a great demand for vaccine lymph, and the only unusual supply that was asked for was when the case of smallpox was discovered on the " Aorangi." From time to time one receives complaints of the loss of potency in the vaccine lymph, but I think where lymph is stored in anything but ideal conditions the potency is very quickly lost. The lymph when it leaves the laboratory is active for the human and active for the rabbit in a dilution of 1 in 1,000. This is the standard demanded by the new therapeutic regulations at Home. We have always found that lymph used immediately after supply is active, and that only through inadequate storage does it become inactive. Fortunately we have had no reports of any cases of encephalitis following vaccination. In view of the small number of vaccinations carried out in New Zealand, I doubt whether this nervous complaint will ever become a problem in this country. SECTION 6.-ADMINISTRATION. Extracts from the reports of the various Medical Officers of Health, which appear in another part of this report, show a progressive improvement in the sanitary conditions generally throughout the Dominion. The policy of most local authorities as regards the installation of sanitary works, such as watersupplies and drainage, continues active. The occasions upon which requisitions from the Board of Health were sought to enforce such installations were few. During the year a number of special reports have been compiled for the information of the Local Government Loans Board, dealing with loan proposals for sanitary works. There are now three Medical Officers of Health stationed at Auckland, three at Wellington, two at Christchurch, two at Dunedin, and both at New Plymouth and Gisborne one Medical Officer of Health combines the duties of Medical Officer of Health and School Medical Officer. Unfortunately, owing to illness, Dr. Crawshaw has been compelled to relinquish his duties at Dunedin. Dr. T. R. Ritchie has replaced Dr. J. H. Crawshaw there. Dr. F. S. Maclean, of Dunedin, replaces Dr. Ritchie in the Wellington District, and to complete establishment Dr. D. Cook has been appointed, vice Dr. Maclean, at Dunedin. The annual refresher course for the instruction of Health and Sanitary Inspectors was held this year in Christchurch during February, and comprised a number of informative subjects. Food and Drugs. —-The usual amount of routine sampling has been carried out, and the results indicate that, in general, no serious manipulation or adulteration of foodstuffs is prevalent. Importers are becoming more alive to the necessity of making inquiries before importing new lines, thereby avoiding difficulties in meeting regulation standards and labelling requirements. The City Councils of Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin each have their own officers specially appointed under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act for the purpose of regular milk-sampling in collaboration with the respective Medical Officers of Health.