1T.—31

REPORTS OF DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS DIVISION OF PUBLIC HYGIENE Hygiene and Sanitation It is not possible to report any material improvements in the field of general sanitation. If anything, there has been some regression in this respect. A lowering of general standards of hygiene is particularly evident in relation to housing, eating-houses and food premises generally, and hairdressers' premises. There has been a great increase in the installation of swimming-baths in schools, and with the personnel at present available the necessary supervision is lacking. Quarantine An amendment to the Quarantine Regulations has been gazetted providing for the effective spraying of aircraft arriving from overseas, to prevent the introduction of live mosquitoes. Special officers have continued to carry out mosquito surveys in the Wellington and Auckland districts. Large numbers of larvae and adult insects have been collected and sent to the Cawthron Institute for identification. The elimination of potential breeding-grounds in the neighbourhood of ports and aerodromes is also receiving attention. New Zealand is one of the signatories to the International Sanitary Convention and the International Sanitary Convention for Aerial Navigation as recently amended. This is of considerable importance in view of the great expansion in air transport services that will develop in the future. Sale of Food and Drugs Act Considerable progress has been made in consolidating the regulations under the Sale of Food and Drugs Act. This work is now well advanced and the new regulations will be ready for gazetting during the present year. During the year an amending regulation was enacted requiring that metal saucepans should be free from poisonous metals and other poisonous substances, and should be stamped or embossed with the name of the maker. This was done primarily to prevent the manufacture of saucepans from scrap aluminium containing lead, copper, zinc, and other impurities. Dangerous Drugs and Poisons Two medical practitioners and a nurse were prosecuted for offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act. The adequate inspection of pharmacists' records has suffered in certain districts owing to staff shortages. DIVISION OF HOSPITALS Five-year Plan At the instance of the Commissioner of Works, Hospital Boards were asked to indicate their building proposals for the next five years. A rough estimate of the cost of the proposals submitted is £13,000,000. New Zealand already has, so far as is known, more hospital beds per 1,000 of population than any Other country. In view of the housing shortage, it is questionable if more than a fraction of this proposed programme of building will be accomplished. Building-materials Two years or more ago, Hospitals Boards were urged to build in light structure wherever possible, owing to the critical shortage of reinforcing-steel. The shortage of satisfactory timber is now such that Boards are urged to build in permanent materials wherever possible. Hospital Beds per 1,000 of Population The following table is taken from the figures supplied by Hospital Boards and published in successive Appendices to the Department's annual reports. The totals are those of public and private hospital and chronic beds, including maternity, tuberculosis, and infectious-diseases beds, but excluding beds in mental hospitals and excluding beds in private or religious charitable homes, of which the Department has no record.

Number of Beds per 1,000 of Population which should be provided It is impossible to lay down a definite figure, as each district is a problem of its own. Anion" the factors which influence the demand for beds are the habits of the population in seeking to enter hospitals for various of illness, the availability of medical practitioners, and their habits in sending patients to hospital or retaining them, for home treatment. Housing facilities, the availability of domestic and private nursing or district nursing assistance, and an efficient out-patient department are important factors. Dangerous industries and scattered populations and the prevalence of certain diseases are important, while the efficiency and attitude of the hospital medical stalls are not the least important factor.

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1886-37. 1937-38. 1038-39. 1939-40. 1940-41. 1941-42. 1942-43. 1943-44. Number of beds in public hospitals .. 8,870 9,085 9,234 9,810 11,182 11,617 12,118 12 497 Number of beds in charitable institutions 1,914 1,907 1,918 1,797 1 102 1 003 977 'qoo under Hospital Boards Number of beds in private hospitals .. 2,538 2,033 2,043 2,705 2,875 2,820 2,983 2 842 Daily average occupied beds in temporary .. .. .. .. .. 410 ',341 hospitals Total public, private, and chronic 13,328 13,025 13,795 14,378 15,159 15,500 10,488 10 013 beds Number per 1,000 of population .. 8-4 8-5 8-0 8-8 9'3 9.5 10-1 10-sT