Leahy. — The Fight against Tuberculosis. 223 



have no by-laws or regulations dealing with this subject. 

 The Veterinary Department is doing excellent work, aimed 

 at the eradication of tuberculosis in cattle, and has very 

 full powers ; and " The Dairy Industry Act, 1898," deals 

 satisfactorily with the subject of milk from diseased animals 

 and insanitary milk-shops, &c. The last thing to be men- 

 tioned, though, as often, not the least important, is the ques- 

 tion of sanatoria, and the Government has already made a 

 move, and ere long we may hope for at least one sanatorium 

 in each Island. Thus, as briefly as possible, I have outlined 

 what we in New Zealand are doing in the fight against tuber- 

 culosis ; and, as will be seen immediately, we are second to 

 none of the other colonies, and in some things a good deal 

 ahead of them. 



Now to consider what the Australian Colonies are doing. 



Notification. 



In New South Wales and Queensland there is no notifi- 

 cation of human tuberculosis, but houses are disinfected in 

 which persons have died from phthisis. 



Victoria has no compulsory notification, but the Board of 

 Health invited information from ratepayers and District 

 Registrars of cases of consumption and deaths from that 

 disease, and undertook the disinfection of premises. Mel- 

 bourne has volunteered to look after the matter, and local 

 Registrars report all deaths from tuberculosis, and then the 

 local authority carries out disinfection of premises. Outdoor 

 hospital consumptives are notified, and then their homes are 

 visited and instructions given. 



South Australia, like ourselves, has compulsory notifica- 

 tion on practically the same lines ; its Act was passed in 

 1898, two years before ours. 



Tasmania has no notification. 



West Australia has notification of pulmonary tuberculosis. 



From this it will be seen that South Australia and New 

 Zealand are ahead of the other colonies as regards notifica- 

 tion, meaning that, whereas the other colonies only disinfect 

 premises after persons have died in them, the two colonies 

 mentioned can disinfect every time a person changes his 

 place of abode. 



Meat and Milk. 



Most of the colonies have legislation on the subject of 

 meat and milk. 



Queensland has been very behind-hand in the matter, but 

 under the regime of the newly appointed Health Commis- 

 sioner there is promise of more efficient control. 



