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to all places that omit to put in force those
precautionary measures that have been recommended
by Science and the Legislature.
Within recent years much has been done
towards enabling people to bring up their children
under healthy conditions. Playgrounds have been
made, Public Baths built, dilapidated property pulled
down or improved, and Bye-laws have been enacted
to prevent encroachment on air space, and to ensure
the building of healthy houses.
Twenty years ago England was in the van on all
matters relating to Public Health, but in these latter
years we have allowed ourselves to be outstripped
by Germany and the United States, while other
states are rapidly coming up to us.
I shall here only refer to such matters as more
immediately concern us.
1st.—The Isolation Hospital.
During the last year the want of an isolation
hospital has pressed very hardly upon some of the
leading tradesmen in the town. The chief need for
such a hospital is not, however, to save expense to
business men, but to save the lives of those who,
from the nature of their home surroundings, are
unable to obtain the proper treatment and nursing
that will not only permit their lives to be saved, but
will give them a fair chance of making a complete
recovery, instead of being left with impaired
constitutions, which render them burdens on the
community for the rest of their lives.
2nd.—The Inspection of Schools.
I should like to call the attention of the School
Attendance Committee especially to the following
remarks on what is being done, and what I think
might be done, in this respect, for it is in this