HON. a FOWLDS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 296, 8 September 1908, Page 5

HON. a FOWLDS.

: VISIT TO CANTERBURY. REPLIES TO DEPUTATIONS. CONSUMPTIVE PATIENTS. . (at TELEGRAM—PRESS ASSOCIATION.) Christchurch, September 7. .. A deputation waited on the Hon. George Fowlds to-day to protest against the action of tho City Council in granting the use of what is known as the Bromley smallpox hospital reserve for tho accommodation of convalescont consumptive patients. The Minister said he had a good deal of sympathy with tho sentimental side of tho agitation, hut he was not in 'a position to render much assistance, as the matter was entirely in tho hands of tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, which ho recommended tho deputation to intorview. He thought tho consumptives should bo sent to the sanatorium, and ho did not seo what the board had in view in standing off that institution. Thero was no difficulty in the way of taking it over now. Ho had no advice that the use of tho Bromley reserve was a menace to health, and so could not. interfere. . A momber of the deputation said at tho present camp there was no control over the patients, who went where they chose, and did not observe proper precautions. The Minister replied that he would see that tho Bromley camp was properly conducted. MILK TEST. A deputation from the Dairymen's As- ■ sociation asked the Minister that tho test of 3.25 demanded by the Health Department bo reduccd in respect of morning milk during tho months of September, October, November,, and December, when it was ini- , possible to comply with the regulations. Mr. Fowlds said that the Department had no intention of harassing any dairymen carrying on a legitimate business. In adopting 3.25 as the standard the Department had followed tho practico of other countries. At present they were feeling their way. Their ■ officers, took-samples from time .to time, and ' Kad' 'analysed' '77 samples taken in. Wellington. Tho average test was 3.58, _and it was proposed to-prosecute in about 35 cases the average test iii which was 3.25. Milk was not necessarily puro if it tested 3.25. ;It might contain a good deal of water or have a -good, deal of butter fat extracted from it. Samples "would be taken at all stages of tho ..year,' .and tho Department would bo guided before,coining to any resolution by what was a fair tiling to adopt. Ho saw no objection in agreeing to the request of tho deputation if they found that all over the Dominion dur..ing tho four summer months named thore was a'general tendency for the test to go • down. Much had been made of the fact that., those who sold milk to tho retailer (being uudor the Agricultural Department) had to get a test of nearly 3 per cent., while tho retailers (being under tlio Health Department) hs<l to get a test of 3.25 per cent. The first regulation covered the case of dairy factories, which only paid according to testy rid." matted h.ow~p'6or or how rich tho milk xrttfi 'but tho 1 secoftd' was to protect tho public wiio had no other means of ensuring that tho milk they purchased was pure, and had to pay the samo price whether it was or ' not. TEMPERANCE TEAOHINC IN SCHOOLS. A deputation from the Women's Christian .•Temperance Union asked that authority be given'" for ' the teaching of the. effects of .alcohol upon the human.system in the Stato schools. They also asked that wall sheets dealing with tlio same subject bo hung in .'the schools. Tlie deputation contended that the subject came within the scope "of the sciences of' hygiene and physiology, which wcro already taught, and that it would hot' overload tho syllabus. They commended a re- ' cent, article on the effects of alcohol appcar-j ing in tho " School 1 Journal,'V but claimed that to be of full value such lessons should ' be graduated and continuous. ' ' : Tho Minister said ho was in sympathy; as far as possiblo with the requests' made,', but' there was a difficulty in the way of . doing what was desired. To a large extent tho, government and control of educational matters were vested in tho education board, and lie wondered that these bodies wcro not more frequently approached on the subject.' Tlio syllabus anticipated temperance instruction under the heading of "Hygiene,"' but whether it was done or not tho Depart* ■me'nt had no means of tasting. Tho education boards' had power to securo a larger ; measure; temperance instruction than the •central department had. When tho next revision of the syllabus took place they would '" 'see that the question was emphasised. sscy, could not keep on altering the syllabus every - -yearj-or-he-would" have" seen - that it was done before now. Something might also ho. . .done.at the training colleges to ensure that the teachers had the necessary information .placed in. their hands to enable any such sclierao to be effectively carried out. The 1 question of wall sheets was also one for the education boards, but it might bo given fur* ' th'er consideration. MEDICAL ATTENTION IN THE BACKj :: BLOCKS. ■ A resolution passed by a recent conference of |tho- W.C.T.IJ. to tlio effect that in tlio remote country districts doctors and niid- • -wives should bo subsidised in order to minimise the cost of confinements to tho poorer people living at great distances' from centres " of population was handed to Mr. Fowlds. " Tho' Minister declared what had already, been dono by tho Government to secure efficient attention at a minimum cost, and said ~ when. Dr. Valintine's scheme of establishing district nurses was in full working order it would entirely solve the problem of cases in tho back-blocks. Under the St. Helens Hospitals system the cost of confinements had been enormously reduced. i • THE EDUCATION BILL. Interviewed last night, the Hon. Geo. : -Fowlds said that the' Education Bill was tha* most important work ho had in hand at the present time. The measure appeared to havo been very favourably received all over tho Dominion, teachers', institutes and it great many individual teachers expressing appreciation of tho contents of. tho Bill. ' The Education Committee of tho House had been through it, and had not mado any material alteration. The next thing was to get the Houso to pass it, and lie did not anticipate that that step would bo attended ' with much difficulty. OTHER MEASURES. Tlio Minister could not say yet whether tho Amending Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill would bo pursued to finality this session; It depended upon the manner in which the Houso progressed with its other , 'business. Tho amending Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill was oxpected back , from Committee shortly, and there was a considerable amount of other work to be done, added to which thero was a general ; disposition on tho part of members to ensure that tho session should not bo a long one. He could not say when the curtain would bo rung down.' It "was rather early to predist. However, tho amending Hospitals and Charitable Bill was ready, and tho 1 Speaker thought it would be found to have met the greater portion of the objection.-. 1 raised to tho form m which tho Bill appeared when it was boforo tho conference of delegates. .