CO129-566-2 Medical Department 30-6-1938 - 1-3-1939 — Page 20

1.83

Mong ương.

Government House.

920

2 SEP 1938

13th August, 1938.

My

den O'Brien,

Last week I sent a pressing request by

5 despatch for approval of the immediate creation of

the post of Deputy Director of Health Services.

feel sure that it will have your support.

I

There was one important aspect of the matter

which I intentionally omitted to mention

viz. that

relating to the Urban Council's activities.

It would

take too long to describe here fully the anomalous

1

situation set up by a "Sanitary Department",presided

over by a layman,which in practice carries out all the urban administration here except for roads, water and,

oddly enough, the house-rating system:

you are probably

aware of it from what Wellington has told you in the

past. The said layman is known as the Chairman of the

Urban Council and, statutorily, the Deputy Chairman is

the Director of Medical Services. Unfortunately, the

practice has been for the Health Inspectors to look to

the Chairman rather than the Medical Officers of Health as their ultimate authority and the latter have not had

t

a free enough hand; and, what is more, a number of

instances in which the Director of Medical Services and

Dr. A. J. R. O'Brien, C.M.G., M.C.,

Colonial Office,

LONDON, S.W.1.

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