BY SIX VOTES

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 86, 8 October 1930, Page 13

BY SIX VOTES

NURSSS AND MIDWIVES

BILL PASSES COUNCIL

After receiving the consideration of: the Legislative Council for two .afternoons and an evening, (he Nurses and Midwives Registration ■ Amendment Bill was finally passed by the Council at 11 o'clock last night. The amendment proposing that the committal stage should be postponed for six months was defeated by IS votes to 12, and other attempts to amend the Bill in Committee were also defeated by a comfortable margin. The Hon. Sir James Allen said lie would do nothing to-injure" the nursing* profession, and he resented any suggestion that he was doing some-thing that was not in the best interests of the nurses. He favoured the Bill. He appealed to the nurses not to be led away by the opponents of the Bill, which did absolutely nothing to imperil the present reciprocal arrangements. The board could not give a certificate to a hospital unless the' institution, came up to the required-standard as a training school. New Zealand would not be taking up a dignified position if, before the Bill was passed, it was submitted to the National Nursing Council of England and Wales. The position of the nurses was amply safeguarded <>n the board. The Hon. Sir Heatou Rhodes opposed the Bill, as he did not think it was required. One could understand why the doctors were supporting the Bill, as the majority of them were not attached to public hospitals. When in-Committee he proposed to move an amendment with the object of ensuring that before the provisions of the Bill came into effect ample inquiries would be made as to the position in regard to reciprocity; The Hon. V. H. Reed said the nurses had been very badly advised in their opposition to the Bill. They were out to kill the Billj-.and he thought it would have been better for them if they had got together "and, tried to improve it. There seemed to be an extraordinary inclination to attack the medical profession and particularly . the British Medical Association, but he had the utmost confidence in the B.M.A. The doctors were being accused of selfinterestedness because they were supporting the present bill. There could be no doubt that- the present system of reciprocity would be maintained. The Hon. J. B. Gow said a great question of public policy was involved in the Bill. New Zealand had a body of trained nurses second to none in the world, and that great body of nurses desired to see things left as they ;were at present. The Trained Nurses' Conference had asked members of the Council to vote against the Bill. 'Mr. Gow assured Mr. Reed that those who were opposing the Bill were in no way attacking the medical profession, but they felt that the opinion -of. the doctors was fully off-set by the opinion of the nurses themselves, women who had been through-tho mill. . Replying to the debate, the ActingLeader of the House (the Hon. R. Masters) said the Nurses' Association had no objection to the provisions of the Bill so long as reciprocity was preserved. The Nurses' Registration Board was the judge of whether the training in private hospitals was efficient or not, and on that'board there was a majority of nurses. ' \

. On a division, the Hon. A. S. Malcolm's amendment that the Bill should be committed that day six months was defeated by 18 votes ,to 12. The list follows:—

For the amendment (12). —Eamshaw, Fleming, Gow, Hawaii, Hawke, Malcolm, Moore, "Bhodes, Scott, Snodgrass, Stewart,'Thomson. Against 'the amendment (18). —Mastors, Allen, Buddo, Cahington, Clark, Fagan, Garland, Hall-Jones, Isitt, Lang, M'Gregory M'lntyre, Beecl, .Smith, Stevenson, Trevithick, Triggs, Witty. In Committee the Hon. J. A. Hanan moved an amendment' with the object of providing that before the Bill became operative the board should make reasonable inquiries in regard to reciprocity. He explained that he was acting on behalf of Sir Heaton Bhodes. The Acting-Leader of tlie Council said if he was not satisfied that reciprocity was maintained in the Bill lie would drop it at once. (Hear, hear.) The amendment was defeated by 17 votes to 10.

Mr. Gow moved an amendment with the object of making it mandatory on the board to revoke its approval of a private hospital as a training school if the number of beds in the- hospital fell below a certain number.

This amendment was defeated by 13" votes to 10. .

The Bill was,read the'third time and passed. ■ . ' ,