H.—25.

Nelson. —A lease for thirty-three years, with the right of renewal, of 5 acres of land belonging tothe Cawthron Institute Trust Board at Stoke has been acquired by the Board. A secondary camp has been erected at a cost of £5,836 6s. lid. The Board made an additional grant of £600 for the cost of furniture and equipment and authorized the payment of £700 to provide extras not included in the contract. The camp, which is ideally situated, was opened by the Chairman of the Board on Saturday, Bth March, 1941. It is designed to accommodate, from four to six months each year, 50 children to be drawn from the West Coast, Marlborough, and Nelson districts. " Glenelg," Christchurch. —Since the purchase of this property little progress had been made to establish a permanent health camp for Canterbury. On account of difficulties in securing a guarantee that finance would be available for the maintenance of children, no competent authority offered to assume the control and management. The Board has endeavoured to settle local difficulties which have arisen. A deputation met and discussed the matter with the Christchurch Central Council, but no further progress can be reported. Early in March a fire swept through the grounds of the property, damaging the reservoirs and outbuildings. These have since been replaced. Roxburgh. —This camp when completed will be equidistant from Dunedin and Invercargill. Three hundred and eighty-five feet above sea-level, it has an area of 17£ acres adjoining the Roxburgh Domain. A contract has been let for the construction of the buildings, which are designed to accommodate 50 children all the year round, with an additional 50 during the summer months. It is expected that this camp will be completed before the next camping season. The estimated cost of building, furniture, and equipment is £27,000. Omaui, Invercargill.—This is a privately-owned summer camp used exclusively as a health camp to accommodate 50 children for two months each year. The Board, in addition to the grant of £400 last year, has approved the further expenditure of £501 4s. lid. for the installation of a new lighting system, incinerator, drainage, and repairs to road. The Board has also dealt with the following matters : — Fire-fighting.—lnvestigations were made in connection with fire-fighting equipment, and it was decided to install fire-reels at health camps where an adequate water-supply was available. Memorial Plaques.—A design for the King George V Memorial plaque has been approved, and sculptors have been asked to submit prices for reproduction in brass and plaster. Management and Control.—Owing to difficulty which has arisen in the control and management an instruction was issued to the Dominion Advisory Committee that the Board would not approve grants for the construction of any permanent or secondary camp until an undertaking was received from a competent authority that it would be responsible for the management and control of such health camp. Contracts for the Erection of Health Cam/ps.—The Board decided to leave the planning of health camps,to local organizations under the supervision of the Health Department, but in all cases the letting of the contract was to be finalized by the Board. Supervision of Expenditure.- During the year a report was received from the Inspecting Accountant of the Health Department in connection with the expenditure of the Board's funds, which revealed that in one instance the grants were not being used as the Board intended, and stricter supervision is now being exercised over expenditure of the various health-camp executives. Privately-owned Camps. —Where camps are used exclusively as health camps and are the property of the local health-camp executive, the Board has received an undertaking that in the event of the camp going into liquidation the rules are so amended as to protect the interests of the Board. School-room Accommodation.—A. deputation from the Board waited on the Director of Education with a view to obtaining a grant for school-room accommodation and furniture for the permanent and secondary camps. The Education Department has agreed to purchase the school-room furniture and loan it to the Board for use at permanent health camps. Finance. —The total disbursements for the year were £18,864 6s. 6d., and the interest on investments and donations amounted to £5,197 13s. 4d., thus leaving a balance in the Fund of £157,505 16s. Ild. The Receipts and Payments Account, Income and Expenditure Account, and. Balance-sheet as at 31st. March, 1941, are attached hereto. A. H. Nordmeyer, Chairman. E. A. Dobbie, Secretary. 2nd August, 1941.

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