PROTECTION FOR PUBLIC

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 3, 3 July 1926, Page 11

PROTECTION FOR PUBLIC

BEGISTEATION OF OPTICIANS,

The Opticians' Registration Bill was discussed in the House of Ecprcsentatives last evening on the second reading. . ■ ■ The Minister of Health, (the Hon. J. A. Young) said that for some years the opticians had been seeking recognition and legislation, and he saw a great need for such registration. Tfc was r.i.-.dr !>•"■•- ---l'ectly clear in the Bill that it was no part of an optician's duty to deal v.-i.ii diseases of. the eye, and this was a complete answer to criticism by medical men. Similar Bills to the present had already been passed in other countries. Tho Minister stressed the importance of the measure, as the sight of the people should be one of the first considerations.

Tho Leader of tho Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) agreed that the Bill was an important one. There was one weakness which he saw, and that was the clauso which proposed to allow a man who had been actively engaged in optometry for six years to secure registration by payment of a fee. That clause was open to abuse. . Mr. Holland stressed the necessity of protecting the public from men who were not qualilied.

■ Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata) expressed the view, that the definition, of an optometrist-would havo to be amended in order to avoid malpractices. Replying to the discussion, the Minister said that; the- point raised by the Leader of the Opposition would bo kept ia mind. '

It was for the House to decide whether twelve months was a sufficiently long period to allow for registration to be effected. Treatment of diseases of the eye would still be the function of tho oculist or the specialist". The Minister stressed the '^portarice of ensuring that the ■ community was not subjected to eye treatment by unqualified practitioners. Ho proposed that the Bill be sent to the Health Committee so that objections and other evidence could be heard.

The Bill was read a second time and referred to the Health Committee.