H.—3la.

little, if any, relief. Here, however, the same difficulty arises as in other hospitals where normal cases are not doctor-attended that a midwife working alone cannot give adequate relief. Suburban Areas. In the absence of any provision by the Hospital Board, the only facilities available to the residents of the suburban areas are those provided by St. Helens Hospital and the Salvation Army Hospital, both situated in the city. On account of the density of the population and the distances to be travelled it is evident that additional provision requires to be made in some of the larger suburbs and centres of population as follows :— North Shore, including Devonport, Takapuna, Northcote, Birkenhead, and East Coast Bays. There is a population in this area of about 25,000 and access is by bus and ferry. Women unable to afford private-hospital accommodation have to choose between a domiciliary confinement or St. Helens Hospital. For those going to St. Helens a serious question is the cost of transport for the regular ante-natal examination, and also when labour has begun, unless arrangements can be made to stay in Auckland. Additional provision appears to be necessary for this side of the harbour. Onehunga. —In the Borough of Onehunga alone there is a population of 11,000, and it is the natural centre for many isolated areas difficult to reach, such as Huia, Awhitu, and other places on the Manukau Harbour reached only by launch from Onehunga. Otahuhu and Mangere residents also are within reasonable access of Onehunga, which is seven miles from Auckland. According to the evidence, there is at present only one privat'e nursing-home and one nurse prepared to take cases in patients' own homes. For the wives of those on limited income in Onehunga a good deal of domiciliary nursing is said to be done by a visiting midwife. Complaints were received of the difficulty experienced in obtaining ante-natal attention, and the Committee considers there is a definite need for the establishment of a small maternity hospital at Onehunga. Otahuhu is another locality which should be considered as a centre for a public or subsidized maternity hospital and ante-natal clinic facilities. Henderson.—ln addition to its own population of about 1,200, this township is the natural centre for the suburbs of Avondale, New Lynn, and Glen Eden, and for the many settlers in the Waitakere Banges, out to the West Coast and northwards to Swanson, Huapai, Kumeu, and Waimauku, as well as Hobsonville, Biverhead, and Te Atatu. There is no nursing-home in the district, and, although there is a resident doctor, there is no midwife or maternity nurse. Women complain of the expense and inconvenience, especially in the later stages of pregnancy, of having to travel by bus or train to the nearest ante-natal clinic, which is at St. Helens Hospital in Auckland. There is often difficulty in arranging transport, and the cost is quite beyond the means of a great many people. The taxi charge from Henderson to St. Helens is £1 Is. There is no hospital of any description between Henderson and Helensville, which is a further twenty-six miles north, through country fairly closely settled by small farmers and orchardists. The Committee therefore recommends the establishment of a maternity hospital sufficient to meet the needs of this large area. Panmure, Mount Wellington.—Complaints were received from women in this part that there is no doctor or midwife in the district and the nearest nursing-home is two miles distant. St. Helens Hospital is about nine miles away. It is considered that an ante-natal clinic where patients could receive their routine examinations would probably meet the need in this area. Country Districts. The facilities provided by the Board are as follows : — Warkworth. —At Warkworth, which is forty-one miles north of Auckland, there is a cottage hospital maintained by the Hospital Board containing five maternity beds. This serves a radius of about fourteen miles. The hospital fees are £3 3s. per week. There is a staff of matron, midwife, staff nurse, and probationer, but no medical officer in charge. A doctor in practice in the district attends cases at the hospital, patients paying the doctor's fee if they can afford it. He receives a subsidy from the Hospital Board to attend indigent cases. All cases are doctor-attended. Maori cases are admitted, but very seldom apply. The doctor stated that he believed that the Port Albert Maoris are confined at home, but he has never been called on to attend a Maori, and is of opinion that they do not at the present time get any regular medical attention. Waiuku. —The Franklin Memorial Hospital, maintained by the Auckland Hospital Board at Waiuku, serves the surrounding district for a radius of about ten miles, and the present accommodation is sufficient for the patients offering. The fees charged are £3 3s. per week. Helensville. —The private hospital in Helensville conducted by the medical practitioner resident there is subsidized by the Board to the extent of £260 per annum to provide hospital accommodation for indigent cases resident in this vicinity.

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