MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXIX, Issue 7732, 27 February 1909, Page 1

MEDICAL ASSOCIATION.

NAPIER, February 25. The Council of the .? New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association resumed its sittings this morning. Two new members were-elected. A deputation was appointed to wait upon the Minister or Public Health with a view to having the duty on vaccines and stera removed. 'At the- conclusion of the Council meeting, the conference., of the New Zealand branch was resumed. The don. Mr Buddo and Mr J. Vigor Brown, M.P., were in attendance. It was amunmced that Mr Buddo had been unanimously elected' an hon. member of the Association. The Minister returned thanks for the honour that had been conferred on him, and assured the delegates that he would do all in hie power to further the interests of the profession. Dr. Gibbs read a paper, dealing with the unsatisfactory nature I'of the Medical Practitioners Act. ■' After considerable discussion, the! following motion was carried : " That ilii.s meeting considers it necessary Uiat immediate steps be taken to bring ibout the amendment of: the Medical Practitioners x\et, 1869, on the lines if the English and Australian Acts, _iud that a committee be Get up to s'urther this object with the least posiiolc delay." During the discussion the Hon. Mr Btidclo expressed himself as favourable -I the proposal to constitute a Medical Board in New Zealand, similar to uliofic in England and Australia. He ;aid that he appreciated the efforts of .•nodical men who interested themselves in the sanitation of a town—even when they at times drew attention to matters which had the effect of lessening their incomes.. The proposed Bill, with one or two amendments, had his entire sympathy. He desired to say that the Anti-Quackery Bill had had a very good moral effect, although, as had boon urged by come of the speakers, it had. not done all that had" been claimed for it. In the first place-, the Act had been for the good of the community, and in the second-place for the good of the prof essiont~ ■ Reverting to the main subject of the discussion, Mv Buddo stated that he was only one Minister in the Cabinet, but he could .insure the members that the proposed Bill had his entire sympathy, and he saw no reason why it should not go through the House. Mr _Buddo concluded by stating that since he had *-aken office he had not had time to formulate a system for control of the medical register, hut it would be one of his first duties to see that the register ■•should bo laced on the same footing ■is those in vogue in other communities , in the British Empire.