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14
of the health activities, but it is probably, from the point
of view of the old and sick, the most highly appreciated
of all. The difficulty in obtaining the services of nurses
has made the work of the Association very onerous, but
the situation has been boldly faced and my attention has
not been drawn to any patient who has been refused the
services of a nurse. A provident scheme is now in full
operation, members of which are entitled to call in a nurse
after a certain period of membership and visits will continue
under the direction of the family doctor without
further financial obligation. This scheme does not, however,
afford facilities for nursing conditions associated
with pregnancy.
MILK.
The rationalisation of distribution
of milk has worked satisfactorily,
the only difficulty experienced has been with one retailer
who had a very limited supply of bottles when the scheme
was introduced; this difficulty has apparently been overcome.
The regulations governing the pasteurisation of milk
require that it should be raised to a temperature of
between 145° Fahrenheit and 150° and held at
that temperature for at least 30 minutes. In some instances
it has not been possible to obtain the necessary
plant, which is of a highly specialised nature. The
Ministry of Health has issued a regulation which permits
pasteurisation to be carried out by raising the temperature
for at least 15 seconds to 162° and immediately
cooling to 55° Fahrenheit. In this district there is
only one pasteurising plant in use. Premises which were
formerly used as a cowshed were unoccupied for a period,