H.-31.

Goitre Maori Pakeha. Incipient .. .. .. .. .. .. 4-92 28-27 -mall .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-15 0-47 Medium .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-00 0-14 Large .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-00 0-00 Total .. .. .. .. .. .. 5-08 28-89 Special senses — Kars— Otorrhea .. .. .. .. .. 0-59 0-13 Eyes— Conjunctivitis .. .. .. .. .. 0-39 0-47 Squints — External and internal .. .. .. 0-07 0-28 Defective vision— Uncorreefcd .. .. .. .. 5-09 7-40 ('(.riveted .. .. .. .. .. 0-00 2-06 Hernia .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-26 0-13 Phimosis .. .. .. .. .. .. 0-00 0-04 Ciieumcision .. .. .. .. .. 0-07 2-67 T-, , , ± i f•■ 0-47 ,y >From pakeha parents statements only .. < . „„ The greater incidence of respiratory disease, of skin disease, and of pyorrhoea in Maori children is again evident. Dr. Anderson states with reference to Maoris in Hawke's Bay : — " It is my experience that almost every Maori child has enlarged tonsils of varying degree, and this, together with their atrocious diet and unhygienic manner of living, is responsible for their persistent colds in the winter time, which condition almost invariably leaves them open to further infection." The following extracts from Dr. Cook's report on Maori children in North Auckland are of interest: — ''Subnormal nutrition dues not appear to any great extent among white children in North Auckland. Native children are particularly interesting when considering their nutritior. During the summer months their appearance is quite different from that of the winter. In the summer, to use a veterinary term, they have, so to speak, a bloom in their appearance consisting of healthy skins, alert eyes, firm flesh, and a general appearance of well-being. In the winter, however, many look anaemic, with dull eyes, unhealthy skins, relaxed muscular tissues, with little, if any, superfluous adipose tissue. The Native diet appears to be deficient in quantity and quality during the winter. . . . The deterioration of Maori health in winter-time due to defects in diet is influenced by home conditions, particularly where there is delinite overcrowding, with perhaps insufficient clothes and bedding. In summer the Native is fairly comfortable, well led as a rule, and the question of clothes is relatively unimportant ; most of the time is spent in the open air and bathing in near-by streams. In the winter conditions are very changed ; the food-supply is defective in quantity, and the defect in quality is even more pronounced. Cold leads to overcrowding in small rooms with pocr ventilation, resulting in almost constant nasal catarrh proceeding to bronchitis. Better hygiene and sanitation in the Maori home appears to be the only hope of arresting the deterioration of this formerly wonderful specimen of the human race. Native-school teachers , , despite desperate odds, are doing their bit to assist their pupils in better methods of living. . . . Any system of education for a Native race which does not aim at health and utilitv as primarj considerations will after many years of toil achieve little of value. Primitive peoples, like artisans in our own civilization, set great value on the practical requirements of life, and have little regard for hook knowledge. This to a great extei t explains the apathy of the older Maori toward pakeha customs." The prevalence of skin-disease (hakehake) among Native school-children has been referred to in previous reports, the report for L 932 containing an account of Dr. Turbott's investigation " Treatment of Scabies, [mpetigO, and Pediculosis A Districi Nursing Study of Comparative Values.'' ( inITRE. Statistics for (he year from routine examinations are as follows. (It must be remembered that the general incidence of goitre would appear to be higher if a larger number of older children, as in .Standards IV and V, were included in the routine examination.)

Incident among Maoris, and therefore in Native schools, is much less, as above noted.

4—H. 31.

25

I'rimors. Standard II. Standard V I. Whole Schools. Summary. AJ1 degrees .. .. 10-04 15-00 21-33 18-31 15-24 Incipient .. .. 8-20 11-84 14-46 13-17 11-11 .Small .. .. 1-61 2-81 5-60 t-35 3-26 Medium .. .. 0-20 0-31 1-02 0-71 0-49 Urge .. .. S 0-03 0-04 n-:>_:> 0-08 0-08