PUBLIC HEALTH

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 140, 10 December 1918, Page 3

PUBLIC HEALTH

A BILL OF SURPRISES

LARGE POWERS SOUGHT

SEQUEL OF EPIDEMIC,

One of the sessional surprises is .the bigness. of the Public Health "Act '.Amendment Bill, introduced by the Hon. G. W; Russell late last night. It provided for the constitution of a Board [oi. Public .Health, consisting of the Minister of Public Health . (chairman), the' Chief Health .Officer, the president of the British /Medical .Association, the Professor of Hygiene in the Otago University, tfie officer in charge "tof local government in the Department of Internal Affairs, and five other^ members .to be appointed by the Governor-General in Council for a term of three years. It shall be the duty of vtho board to report to the Minister on methods or- developments in national health, or on. matters concerning the medical services, on instruction in health matters, needed amendments ,in. the t law, the. relation of the Department to . local governing authorities, the training;of medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, and masseurs, and on other public health'matters referred to it by the Minister.. , r Power to. establish lodging houses contiguous, to the working population. 6r v to tramways is conferred 1 on every local authority, the laud to be taken under the Public Works Act, and ihe buildings; erected and furnished under the Local Bodies Loans Act by special order. The lodging houses may be let or maintained by "the local authority.' . W Colonies of workers' dwellings may be eslabEshed, each colony of fifty dwellings having, a communal laundry, library, and meeting house, and also a hot water system. The rent will be sufficient only to pay interest and other charges. There will be a central domain "of three acres to each colony. • . ;

Th* District Health Officer is ■■ empowered to order the destruction 0/ alteration of insanitary buildings, subject to appeal before a magistrate. If .the owner fails to pull down a condemned building, the local body 16 empowered to do the work at, the expense of the owner, and if the local body fails 'to take action within two months, the Health Officer -Will exercise the- powers conferred on the local body.

By-laws may be iriade for the inspection of any building before its' occupation by a new owner or tenant. ' tocal bodies are to be compelleii to appoint inspectors of buildings to examine every building in' the district. The inspectors shall report im particular on the area: of land occupied, the air epaceXwater supiply, baths,' lavatories, sanitttfy and hygienic conditions,, name of owner, name and occupation of the occupier, number and description of rooms, number of persons living in the building, and the. rental., All reports by the inspector fthaJl bo open' to free public inspection during office hours. . The District Health Officer may report to the local authority and Board of Health upon the necessity for improving iany. part of a district under the provisions of section two hundred' and mnetythree of the Municipal Corporations Act, ,1908. If the local 'authority neglects or refuses to take action within three months, thd Board of Health shall hold ■a.public inquiry into the ;matter; If the local authority approves of the re commendations of the board, ■ if. must give effect to them within ono year, or in default the work mafy be completed ■b£ the Public Works Department. To give effect to the recommendations the local body will not be oblig<jd to take 'a poll of the ratepayers. % •On and after Ist February, 1919, it shall not be; la.wful foi- anyXperson—(a) Totake in more than five lodgers at any one time for board and residence, either temporary or permanent^ unless the preanises have-been licensed by th« local authority; (b) to take in a greater number of, lodgers "than is specified in any such license; or (c) to let any house or . tenement ni which more than one family is to reside, or any room for.the occupation b?'more than two .persons, without tjhe previous approval-of the local authority.

Tower is given to local bodies to,appoint sanitary committees; consisting' of other than members of the local bodies, to ;inqnire into the sanitation of the'district and make recommendations. s

On the application of any local authority the Minister imay appoint resident medical practitioners, who 'shall charge prescribed fees, or give free attention in medical cases. All fees shall be, paid into . the district fund, from. which the practitioner's salary will be, paid, any deficit being provided out of rates. ■ The clause empowering,'the GovernorGeneral to make'regulations "for the purippse of preventing or 'checking the spread of infectious disease" is Avidened to give the Governor-Gerieral power to make regulations without', qualificaton for any purpose, and it is v- provided that it shall -„be the duty of local authorities to,see, that the regulations are strictly observed. .The provision: . that local bodies'may maintain sufficient privies, *shpits, and similar conveniences is made compulsory, on the requisition ;of the Health Officer. . The provisions regarding scavenging and cleaning are made general instead of applying only to boroughs.. , , '.. :

The rules for entry and; inspection in the ca^e of - dwellings are • widened to provide that only, the occupier of a bedroom may withhold consent to entry. The Minister may require any borough having a population of 5000 or over to appoint a medical officer and sanitary inspectors. No house sha.ll'be erected or occupied as a dwelling-place"' unless approved by the local authority on the recommendation of the inspector under, this Act, who shall certify to the water-supply, baths, and sanitary conditions of the property., . : . ' No picture-theatre ijiall be opened before the hour of 2 o'clock in ■. the afternoon or between the hours, of five and seven irt the evenipg. .

'■ The Minister may, on the recommendation of-the Board .of Public Health, establish and maintain: lecturers, instructors, training classes, gymnasia, and any other methods, in the interests of public health, the cost to be paid out of moneys 'appropriated 'by Parliament.

, Any. local authority may/.'-subject to the. approval of; the Minister in charge of Hospitals and Charitable Aid, pay out of its. ordinary.'f.unds such moneys as it things fit to ■ such .persons as it: thinks fit for the assistance arid development of any society, organisation., or institution not fesUblishe,d for. purposes of profit,/ whose ' object, is to promote public health ; 'or for the -• establishment ,^nd' maintenance bursaries to medical arid dcutal I Btudenta at any-college affiliated to the New Zealand. University. ,\ ■■

. Any person found by an inspector to be living in. insanitary conditions and without prcaer and adequate regard to health, fooa,' clothing, may be removed to an iristitntion under thie control of a Hospital and Charitable Aid Board.

. Any local authority may, and Khali ■when .ordered by the. '.District- Health Officer, make by-laws prohibiting the use of houses, or i any class of ro6rn« for human habitation that' in tho opinion of the District Health Officer are unfit for such habitation.

A* proviso is added that where the Minister is satisfipd that a local authority is .aatufnctoriK- enforcing the provision* of tho principal ' Act he may

delegate to it all the powers conferred on the district health officer^

MINISTER'S REMARKS,

In..'moving tjie second reading, the Minister said that the epidemic had disclosed various weaknesses which requir-. Ed consideration. It had shown that the: whole.basis of public health needed 'strengthening. A comparison of the costs of the- Stock Department and the Public Health Department showed that it was necessary to giye more attention than in the past to safeguarding human health. The Minister left his hearers to deduce thai 'more jnoney and attention were given to the health of sheep, cattle, pigs, and other animals than to the health of human beings. If suqh a board as tho one proposed in the Bill had been in existence, he said, the epidemic would not have -caught New Zealand 'unprepared. Slums could not be emptied unless better accommodation was provided. The naming of the offenders would help greatly, to wipe out the [ slum evil. There was ample power in the existing law to deal with slnm areas, which were visible in .all the cities to-day. Generally speak-, ing, the pressure' of the new law would not be brought to bear upon' local bodies till they had failed to do their duty. A very .larjro number 6f p the deaths during the epfoemic in Wellington occurred among young men who were taken from overcrowded boar'dinghouses td the hospitals. Mr. : Russell, expressed a hope that many of the splendid committees which . had 'acted duringthe epidemic would continue to act as sanitation committees. The Minister also praised the self-sacri-ficing spirit of the medical practitioners. Mr.\Massey said that unless the Bill was passed within a few hours it'would not get on this session's Statute Book. ■ Mr. M'Callum (Waira'u) asked whether. Ministers were unanimous on the Bill. , Mr. Massey did not disclose the Ministerial mind.' . . The Bill was referred to a committee of fourteen members. . x .MEMBERS' VIEWS. ■ Mr. T. K. Sidey submitted the Committees' report at 4.30, that the Kill should be allowed to proceed with amendments. .■'■■'- ■ ; On the motion to go into Committee, Mr. G. Witty raised a; question against undue haste with such a measure. Mr. J..P. Luke said he regretted that such a Bill should be pushed.in in the early hours of the morning, before representatives of the Local Bodies had had an opportunity to examine ifc., The Minister of Public Health had 1 practically recognised in the' Bill that his recent censure of local bodies was not warranted, for the Minister was asking for larger powers. The limitations of tha war period had prevented the Wellington 1 City Council and similar local bodies from carrying out works which they would have liked to undertake in normal times. He believed the larger councils should;/have full control .of the. sanita*tion of cities. During the recent cpi-' demic the Hospital Board in Wellington had no machinery for carrying out the work. ../'■" . . ■

■' -Mr. H. G. F>!l said that the main provisions of the Bill were embodied in legislation as far back as the year 1900.

, Tlie Hon. Dr. Pomare approved the general principles of the Bill. The Bill went tnrough Committee.

The Minister said he thanked the House for kindly manner in which the Bill had been received. "•

The Bill wits' read a tnird time and passed, at 5.40 a.m.