VETERINARY SURGEONS

Evening Post, Volume 50, Issue 50, 27 August 1926, Page 11

VETERINARY SURGEONS

REGISTRATION MEASURE

BILL PASSED "WITH AMEND

MENTS.

The Veterinary Surgeons Bill was discussed at some length in the Committee stage in tho House of Representatives Jast night.

The Leader of the Opposition. (Mr. H. E. Holland) said it was essential that there should be some definite designation for present practitioners, who were to lose their present title as veterinary surgeons after the Bill passed. He suggested to the Minister that some provision should be made such as appeared in the English Act, which stipulated that if practitioners had been working for ten years they should be registered without examination, while in cases of less than, flvs years' experience they were put on a separate register. NOT A GOOD TURN. The Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. O. J. Hawken) said the matter had been considered, and he thought that if a distinction was made it would put the unqualified man at a disadvantage. He did not think that the older men now in practice would suffer under ttie Bill. Many of them did not call themselves veterinary surgeons at all. He did not believe it would be serving them a good turn to specially designate them. Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Chris tchurch .^ast) said he objected to the Bill on the ground that it provided for a close corporation of sixty individuals. Tho Prime Minister (the Right Hon. J. G. Coates): "Don't you believe in trades unions?" Mr. Armstrong: "I believe in a trades union and an o\ \ union." The Postmaster-General (the Hon. \V. Nosworthy): "You're a Tory." (Laughter.; Mr. T. Forsyth (Wellington East) said he had been'surprised to hear the Minister say that the men at present acting as veterinary surgeons would not be affected. The Bill stated very plainly that these men would be shut out. The Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod) said there was nothing to; prevent the men mentioned by Mr. 3?orsyth from continuing in their present employment. Mr. Forsyth knew very well, as' chairman of an education board, that no board would employ uncertificated teachers when certificated teachers were available. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Ohinemuri) also voiced a protest against the proposal to debar unregistered surgeons from the provisions of the Bill. I DEPABTUBE FROM! PEECEDENT. It was often found that the man without tho diploma knew more about animals than the man with the diploma, said Mr. T. "W. Bhodes (Thames). He did not know why they were departing from precedent in the case of the present Bill. He would have to vote against some of the provisions of tho Bill. After further lengthy discussion, the Prime Minister said they could not spend all night on the Bill. He suggested that the Bill should be amended by making provision that the terms "registered" and "unregistered" might be used as prefixes to the words '' veterinary surgeons." He thought that would meet the difficulty which had arisen, and would allow the Bill to pass. He recognised that the matter was of some importance. He thought,, however,.that young men should be given the incentive of sitting for examinations and becoming registered. Mr. Armstrong said that for a man to call himself unregistered was as much as to advertise the fact that he was a bogus veterinary surgeon. AN AMENDMENT ADOPTED. Mr. "W. J. Girling CWairau) expressed the hope that the Minister of Agriculture would accept the suggestion that had been made by the Prime Minister. If the suggestion was not adopted he would move an amendment to the Bill at the right time. The Minister: ''Of course, I'll accept the suggestion." He would amend the Bill by adding a new clause to provide that any person who had practised as a veterinary surgeon in New Zealand for not less than ten years should be entitled to continue in practice and describe himself as a veterinary practitioner. Ho thought the clause would fairly meet tho objections in the Bill. After some further discussion, the short title of the Bill was carried. The Minister consented to an amendment making it permissible rather than obligatory for the board to cancel registration in cases of conviction of veterinary surgeons for an offence. The Minister moved a new clause, ■vhich was adopted, providing that any person who has practised as a veterinary surgeon in New Zealand for ten years prior to the passing of the Act should be entitled to be registered and to describe himself as a practitioner. The Bill was reported as amended, and passed.