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The value of audiometric examination is beyond dispute, many of the smaller degrees of
deafness, especially unilateral deafness, being discovered, which would otherwise escape notice.
A certain proportion of these can be remedied by timely treatment and the hearing saved.
Neglect of early treatment frequently means permanent and progressive deafness. I consider
that the work should be extended, but the present system would need some alteration. It is
not necessary that the routine testing should be carried out by an otologist. This could be done
quite conveniently by a nurse, while the otologist would be required for the clinical examination
and treatment. The larger the number of children tested, the larger would the number
of clinical examinations and consequent treatments become. Further, the procedure is not
without its difficulties, which commence with the clinical examinations of the failures of test No. 2.
Not all the children attend for this examination at present, and, further, those requiring treatment
cannot all be treated "on the spot." Some may require an operation for tonsils and adenoids,
others treatment for otorrhoea, some regular inflation, but in any case the lengths of the treatments
vary, and after the completion of treatment each child must have test No. 3. It will be
seen that test No. 3 cannot be carried out on all the children at one time as is the case in test No. 1
and 2. This complicates the work considerably. Efforts are, however, being made to
encompass these difficulties, but it may be necessary to recommend some modification of the
arrangements in due course.
The result of tests in this group of children showed that 86.3 per cent. had less than nine
sensation units loss of hearing, and 13.7 per cent. had nine or more sensation units loss. The
figures for ears instead of children was 89 per cent. with less than nine sensation units loss, and
11 per cent. with nine or more.

Stammering children.
At the eight centres maintained for the treatment of stammerers a total of 382
children attended during the year ; of these, 115 were discharged as cured, while 59,
many of whom had greatly improved, left for various reasons.
The arrangements are on the following lines (i) each child attends twice
weekly for periods of 50 minutes each; (ii) each group of children is limited to 9; and
(iii) 3 groups are dealt with by the same instructress on each half day.
Statistics.
Dr. E. J. Boome has reported as follows:—
Enquiries have been made into the familial distribution of stammering incidence. The
results are given for each centre in the following table. Of 455 cases investigated, 273 were found
to have another member of the family who suffered, while in 174 cases this member was an
immediate relation.