UNREGISTERED DENTISTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 232, 1 October 1925, Page 12

UNREGISTERED DENTISTS.

COMMISSION ON CLAIMS. EACH CASE ON ITS MERITS. (By Telegraph.—Prcsß Association.) WELLINGTON, Wednesday. An announcement that a commission will be appointed to report upon the claims of each unregistered dentist claiming the right to practise was made in the House of Representatives thin afternoon by the Prime Minister. Mr. Coateß read the following statement: "The Commissions of Inquiry Act provides a method for the investigation of rights and equities prior to intended legislation. That method is specially applicable to unregistered dentists, some of whom have probably merits, while others may be in a different category. Legislation should discriminate between the two clashes, and a properly constituted commission would by its report enable Parliament to deal more fairly and justly with the whole subject than is now possible.

"The Government has' decided *.o appoint such a commission immediately, with a direction to report upon the merit* of each case. The new Parliament in its first session will thereby be fully informed on the subject and enabled to deal completely and fairly with the difficult position consequent upon the recent amendments of the Dentists Act." Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) asked if th* Prime Minister could complete the information by telling the House whether prosecutions would go on. . The Prime Minister said he had discussed the matter with the Dental Association, and it was agreed that the first duty of the commission would be to inquire into the merits of each case. Then the question came up> as to whether prosecutions should go on, and. if bo how far tbey should go. He was not sure whether the Act would allow prosecutions to stand over, but he took it that if the commission reported favourably on a man he would be allowed to practise, but if the report was unfavourable hi* practice must stop. In reply to a question as to whether there would be any prosecutions in the interim the Prime Minister said there would be no hardship in any case pending the inquiry.