SOCIAL HYGIENE BILL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 21, 19 October 1917, Page 5

SOCIAL HYGIENE BILL

- SEVERAL AMENDMENTS. " The Hon. G. W. Russell has given notice of his intention to wove a number of amendments in the Social Hygien* Bill. ' In Clause 7, sub-clause 1, which dealß with thoipowers of the Minister to take ; step 3 to secure the detention of a person supposed to be suffering from vener-! eal disease, it is proposed to alter the description of persons w.ho may be so de- > tained so aa to make it read as •follows: ; —"Who is a common prostitute, or 'i ;.o habitually leads an immoral life, or '.vho is a person habitually consorting ■* -.Ih' prostitutes." , . ' Another alteration to the same clause gives the person detained the right to demand that ho shall be examined by one or more medical practitioners nomi-. nated by himself in addition to examination by a practitioner nominated by the Advisory Board. The institutions in which persons are to be detained are to be called "Detention Hospitals," instead of "Prison Hospitals." ■ I ~ i Aa regards the oharacter of evidence required in order to satisfy the Magta-: trates, the words "whether legally admissible in a Court of law or nor are to be omitted. The provision that tho of detention shall bo regarded as prisons tastruck out. ;■ -■■ ." ' Clause 18, providing for the payment out of public Twenties of expenses of conveyance to prison hospitals, is struck Some alterations are .also made regarding the "ditties of or in respect of persons suffering from venereal disease.' .