Association for their willing co-operation and assistance; to the large
number of members of the medical profession throughout the Dominion who
responded to the Committee's request for information; to Dr. J.H.L.
Cumpston, Federal Director-General of Health, Melbourne, for much
Australian information on the subject, particularly in relation to
Commonwealth quarantine provisions; to Dr. Everitt Atkinson,
Commissioner of Public Health, Perth, West Australia, for a most lucid
and informative report on the working of the legislation in force in
that State; and to many other persons who by means of correspondence and
literature have placed at the Committee's disposal a large amount of
information which has been of material assistance in considering various
aspects of the problems involved.

The Committee desire to acknowledge their indebtedness to their
secretary, Mr. C.J. Drake, whose wide knowledge of public-health matters
has been of material assistance in their investigations and who has
discharged his duties with marked zeal and ability.


SECTION 2.--VENEREAL DISEASES AND THEIR EFFECTS.

One result of the Committee's investigations has been to show that the
public in general are very ignorant regarding the nature of venereal
diseases, and their lamentable effects not only upon the individuals
infected, but upon the health and well-being of the community as a
whole. This ignorance of the nature of the problem and of the grave
issues involved naturally stands in the way of the evil being grappled
with effectually. Furthermore, the policy of reticence which has
prevailed in the past, while it has led to the omission of proper
instruction of the young, either by their parents or as part of our