UNHAPPY ADELAIDE.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 22, 19 September 1911, Page 8

UNHAPPY ADELAIDE.

YET ANOTHER STRIKE.

MEDXAL MEN STAND FIRM

An advertisement will appear in the 'Advertiser' to-morrow, signed <by 83 members of the medical profession practis.ug in the metropolitan area, notifying that "being determined to resist the attempt to lower the lodge remuneration f»f professional services," they have agreed not to act as surgeons to any lodge affiliated with the Adelaide United friendly Societies' dispensary wjfipie (wrote the Adelaide correspondent of the iiyflney 'Daily Telegraph' on August 28). . Che opposition to the scheme is led by the Medical Defence Association, which claims that the reduction of fees proposed to he paid to doctors is out of all proportion to the cost of medicine. Lodge doctors receive from 10s per annum for single members, and from 25s to 30s for married members, according to the age of the families. It is stated that a reduction of 30 per cent, is proposed to these fees.

The Medical Defence Association obtained returns from 25 doctors with large lodge practices, showing that for three years-the cost of medicines averaged I'll per cent, of their fees. I 'That being so," said a leading physician, "They want to rob us of 181 V eT cent, of our hard-earned fees. We don't intend to stand it. What we get is little enough now, considering how the price of everything has gone up, and we are fully determined to stick to our guns." When does the strike start? he was asked. "On September 30," was the reply. "That is the date fixed by most of the lodges for making the reduction." "The Rechabites and Grand United Order of Oddfellows are not in the dispensary scheme, and there are lodges belonging to other orders that have not accepted the scheme, I understand they are advertising for doctors. I don't know how many applications they have had, but any doctors coming here under engagement to the dispensary will be absolutely ostracised. They will not be allowed in hospitals, and we shall, of course, refuse to meet them in consultation with a dispensary doctor, and we all mean to stick to that. I have never known Adelaide doctors to stand so firmly together as they are in this matter. There will be no going back."

"What terms would you accept from the dispensary?"—" None whatever, and we would not touch them with a 40ft pole. As we say in our advertisement, we will have nothing to do with them."