DENTAL SCHOOL OPENED

Evening Star, Issue 19274, 12 June 1926, Page 3

DENTAL SCHOOL OPENED

Speech by Minister of Education

Research Work Mooted

About two hundred citizens, representing all classes, educationists predominating, accepted the invitation of the Otago University Council to attend the opening of the new Denta School in King street, fairly filling the lecture theatre at tie end of the corridor on the ground floor. The Chancellor of the University (Mr T.' K. Sidey, M.P.) presided, supported by the Vice-Chancellor (Mr W. J. Morrell), other members of the council, and the teaching professors. The mayor (Mr Tapley, M.P.) was also on the platform. Whilst the company were taking their seats one of the students, Mr W. Priestley, played most agreeably on the piano.

HISTORY OF THE SCHOOL The Chancellor said that that day marked the fruition of hopes long cherished, not only by the University Council, but also by many throughout New Zealand who were interested in dental education. The official opening of their now Dental School was an important event from a dominion point of view, as it was a national school, and ho left sure he Minister of Kducation would acknowledge that this was (Applause.) It was also an important event lor the city of Dunedin. It placed on a permanent basis a school founded and nurtured in their city, and it now occupied a prominent place amongst its many educational institutions. The first step taken by the University Council towards the estahIshment of a dental school in Dunedin was at a meeting held in June, 191X1, when a committee was set up to consider the question. _ The council realised that there wore difficulties to bo overcome, including the passing of legislation, and it also realised--that if these difficulties wore to bo surmounted it could only be done with the assistance and co-operation of the dentists. That assistance and co-operation, lie was pleased to say, had been forthcoming to a degree beyond the council’s anticipation. (Applause.) On Juno 4, 1903, the dentists of Dunedin had held a meeting, and had appointed a committee to further the movement and to confer with the committee sot up by the University Council. Petitions from dentists in many parts of New Zealand had been presented to Parliament during the session of 1903, but although these were favorably reported upon no legislation was passed in that year. At the commencement of the session of 1904 a Bill had been introduced, and this in its later stages had been taken up by the Government and passed into law. This act revolutionised dental education in this country. (Applause.) It could not. however, have been passed without the assistance of the dentists, and after it had been passed and the regulations framed it might have been a dead letter had it not been for the New Zealand Dental Association, which had come into existence as a result of the legislation, and which raised by voluntary contribution the sum of £I.UOO. This movement secured a-promise Ironi the Government of a .subsidy sufficient to erect the first dental school building. AVhen this school had been erected some twelve Dunedin dentists gave their services voluntarily as student demonstrators. (Applause.) _ From that time until that day the New Zealand Dental Association had not ceased to take the keenest interest in the school, and do everything in its power to promote its welfare. He thought it was only fitting on *this occasion to mention the names ot those who had rendered very valuable assistance in the past. Of the Dunedin dentists the most prominent were Messrs C. AY. Play, T. A. Hunter, and F. Armstrong, and in addition, the first committee of dentists included Sir Charles Burdott, Dr N. Macdonald, and Mr Robinson. The Wellington dentists were no less enthusiastic, and when the Bill was before the House, a representative meeting of dentists was held to give it their support. The three members from the committee who had given evidence before the committee of the House in support of the Bill were worthy of mention owing ro their disinterested attitude. They were members of the Wellington Dental Board, which the Bill proposed to wipe out. Their names were Messrs Hoby, Jfawson and Bulkley. In the same connection Dr Lowe, of Wellington, was deserving of credit. Dr Lowe at that time conducted a. school in which students wore coached for the board’s examination, and bo gave valuable support to a movement which was really opposed to his own interests. Among the members of Parliament whom lie would like to mention were Mr Seddon, who was Minister ot Fducation and head of the Government which had laken up the Bill. One of his last acts before leaving for Australia, ou what proved to be' his last journey, was to authorise a grant for the dental school which was to ho erected in Dunedin, Sir Joseph Ward, then Colonial Secretary, had rendered special service. Sir William Herries had been chairman of the committee which had considered the Bill, and ho took some credit to himself for diplomacy in having secured him as chairman, ns Mr Herries had been at that tdno a prominent member of the Opposition side of the House. Had Mr Merries been disposed, he could have made it difficult to secure the passage of the Bill. Then, after the passage ot the Bill, ho would like to mention the assistance given by the Hon. George Fowlds, who, as tlio then Minister of Education, opened their first .school and authorised grants for its equipment. The lion. G. W. Bussell, who, as Minister of Health. _ had established dental bursaries, which wore of the greatest value at the time they were Instituted. Sir James Barr, who was later Minister of Education, had recommended a number of grants, including those for the new building, and Mr. Massey, who had been Minister of Finance and head of the Government, had authorised the grants lor the building and the equipment. (Applause.) He would also like-to extend the council’s thanks to the Hon. Downie Stewart, who had rendered valuable assistance at a time when there had been a proposal to transfer the a bool front Dunedin. Mr sidey said that as regarded the carrying on of the school, the first work , in its organisation had been entrusted to Mr 0. V. Davies, who had been appointed acting director pending the arrival of Professor PickeriH from England. It had been Mr Davies who had initiated a post-graduate course for dentists who had passed the board’s examination. This had greatI.'' 1 .'' assisted in the carrying on of the school during the period when there were few degree or 0.0. P. students. Mr Davies was again in charge ns acting director during the time Professor Pickcrill was at- the front, and when the attendance at the school had fallen to the lowest figure in its history. Jt had been daring Mr Davies’s adminiscraiiou 'uni 1.. e scholarship scheme had been introduced, I and this had greatly increased. ti.ej number of students ami had given tie ( school a new lease of life, and Hie school | had gone on increasing in import mac iu j that, day. (Applause.) H? took tin. | opportunity of paying a tribute to the! organising ability of Mr Davie., am! to 1 the valuable servf-es remleicd by him. I It had been with the deepest* rcgrai* taut)

they had heard of the death of Irofessor Raynor Bell, the first graduate to obtain the degree of doctor ot dental research at 100 Dunedin School. Ho had been one of the most brilliant and promising students, and his iintiiuoU death was greatly deplored. They extended their deepest sympathy to his widow and family. , . , Professor Pickcrill had been appointed director of the school about hebiu.nv, 1907, and he had taken up his duties about September of that year. Ho had come to them with high qualifications, both medical and dental, and .since then had received many distinctions, including several from foreign countries. He had been awarded the Cartwright prize of the Koval College of Surgeons, Eng-, in 1910 for research in the prevention of dental caries, and two years ago he had been elected vice-president ol the odontological section ot the Royal College of Medicine, which represented all branches of medical science. Among the publications which had appeared under the name of Professor Pickcrill, one was in its second edition, and another was in its third, and had been translated into at least two foreign languages. Professor Pickcrill’s skill as a facial surgeon was well known. It had been in recognition of his work lor the soldiers that°he had received the distinction of C.B.E. It was not too much to say that, through the work of Professor Pickoril! the Dental School of the University of Otago was known all over the world. Moreover, the aehitect, in planning the new building, had adapted it to the requirements set forth by Professor PickeriH. It had been admitted by an Australian visitor who had inspected the building, and who was entitled to speak with authority, that there was no dental school in Australia equal to their newone, and ho was assured that, although in the United States of America there might ho_ larger buildings and more expensively and elaborately equipped schools, there were none better adapted for its purpose. (Applause.) When the old school had been built there ha<3 been little choice of sites available, and the site they had taken had, unfortunately, been badly situated, as, consequent on the proximity of the Leith, there was little room for expansion, and its lighting aspect was also not good. None of those disabilities attached to tho now building. In addition to its proximity to the Medical School and the Pubic Hospital, it was well served by the tramways, being at the end of a penny section in the busiest tramway route.

Tho official laying of tho foundation stono had been made by Lord Jellicoc on October 11, 1924, the gathering being presided over by the late Chancellor, tho Rev. Dr Cameron, who had boon ever solicitous for the well-being of tho Dental School, as of every department of the Otago University. (Applause.) A word of praise was duo to the architect, Mr Anscombc, upon whom tho responsibility for tho plan of tho building had rested, and to tho contractor, Mr AV. H. Naylor, who had made an excellent job, in spite of tho difficulties which delayed the work, but which were beyond his control. Ho also wished to thank the many friends who had made gifts for the equipment and furnishing of the .school; and he would take that opportunity of commending tho school as worthy of consideration to those who might be disposed to help them with benefactions. Tho now school had, of course, increased tho financial obligations of the University, and tho council was hoping that the Minister might ho able to give some indication of what ho could do in placing the finances of the school on a separate and satisfactory footing, as recommended by the University Commission. (‘‘Hear, hear.”) There was one branch of the council’s work which might be overlooked, and that was in connection with research. Without- due attention to this matter tho University could not fulfil one of its most important functions. (Applause.) What had been desired was that sums should he earmarked for extra assistance. This assistance would help in permitting the professors to have more time to devote to research work. It was understood that this question was now under Government consideration, and what ho would urge was that research in the domain of dentistry was just as important in the interests of health and efficiency as research in any other department of human knowledge. (Applause.) Mr Sidey then welcomed the Minister of Education, congratulated him upon his appointment to the Cabinet, and before calling on him to officially open tho .school ho asked Mr Anscombc to make a presentation.

Mr Edmund Anseorabe, architect, presented the Minister, as a memento of the occasion, with a paper knife that ha.s an old-fashioned gold key as a handle, and is engraved with the Otago University coat oi arms in enamel.

THE MINISTER'S ADDRESS DAMAGE BY DENTAL DECAY. Tho Ho.ri. Air Wright thanked the Chancellor for the kind remarks ot welcome accorded to him and for tho kind reference with regard to the Ministerial position he now occupied. In regard to Air Sidcy’s reference to additional financial help, he would remind him as a member of Parliament that the question should bo put on tho order .paper! (Laughter.) Ho was pleased to ho. present. to declare open such a remarkably fine building. After hearing the list of illustrious people who had done something or other, it appeared to him that he was the only man who had done nothing at all. (Laughter. ) ft had fallen to hi? lot to play the pleasant part of declaring the building open. Ho found that the ■ original building for a dental school was designed to accommodate from twenty to twenty-live students. It was soon found by the shrewd people of Dunedin that the arcommodat.ion w;js quite insufficient. Proposals were then made for sonml liing on a more, in. let ions scat'. It had r.cen proposed I to i:se I he t.ntory and piiy.-ioiogical i neuii-- of tim UiiivelSity. 'mil. a was tor.id v.vi'e too sm.,d. Tim I’mversiiy. i-iii. dhiemeJ to ifieMi being used iu I,;m1 way, ITuio'or Picker,ll 1 1 ,t ■ I ■ '"mi ■ taken a h.e nice rest in the of ) : -i if ’■ i It r ae inn moon I on, and Li - -t liie l.e-1 I gin. for a (h-.ila! .. : 1 !:-• an ii lig il. and : ,11 .. ,1 i' oi i fa on » !iy l e A •u’nimnm of t.re qy- .«u • ’led siude.il.-> was .1 S«r if t-lC

dental profession was to -ho kept up ] to tho standard required in New Zealand. On tho basis of a lour to lour and n-lmlf yours’ course, 120 students needed to ho in training at one time. It was obviously necessary, there should he sufficient accommodation to tram that number of students. During the year 1924—the last official figures were available for that year—there were 114 students in attendance, fifty-live men and three women, taking the degree course, and forty-eight men and eight women taking tho cei tih cate course. In those circumstances it was rightly decided to erect a new dental school on what was known .as the Beverley trust site, for which in 1924 Cabinet made a grant of £2,9a(). Hm first estimate for tho new building was £26,100; fittings £2,950; equipment, etc £o 372; other expenses, £1,90t); making a total of £35,372. Eventually a tender for the building alone was accepted in. the sum of £24,394, tins excluding lighting and heating. m Government had approved a toEothoi of the amount of £25,000 for the building £3,950 for tho site, £4,064 tor equipment, £1,301 for heating. for a lift, £374 for lighting, £.),00/ ioi fittings, £1,496 for architects Ices, making a total of £41,605. The object of the Denial School m training students in dentistiy should appeal not onlv to tho dental piofession hut also to tho citizens of New Zealand generally . In his younger days the onlv way of dealing with a troublesome tooth ‘was to have it extracted by the old painful operation. Great progress had been made since those days—progress just ns remarkable as in any other profession. r lo-day it was known io the ordinary man in the street that a tooth had to be very had bcloio it needed to be extracted. Among civilised peoples it was found that dental decay was very prevalent indeed, continued Mr \A right. Medical men said that one of tho serious effects of dental disease was in encouraging germs to enter tho system and bring about poison. Medical men to-day were taking a far keener interest in tho health of people’s months than formerly. There was far too much dental decay among our’young people. .The cause could not be onr climatic conditions, because the Maoris had good teeth before tho advent of tho white people. A regular supply of well-trained dentists was absolutely necessary. They knew that a- bad dentist was of no use in tho community, just as a bad physician or. a bad Minister of Education. He believed this new school would bo the moans of turning out students, men and women, who would go throughout New Zealand and elsewhere and be. firstclass operators at their work and repair the damage which had been caused by denta! decay. The school would be recognised as a place where young rncu and women were trained in tho science and practice of dentistry. 'Jhc Minister went on to refer to tho great interest which Dunedin people had always taken in educational matters. The pioneers of Otago had laid the foundation of a good general education which had borne fruit throughout the dominion. Men who had become famous in their own country and abroad owed much to the general education which they had obtained in New Zealand in general and in Otago in particular. The Dental School had been brought into being by the enthusiasm and perseverance of the local enthusiasts. Tho Chancellor had been kind enough to name them, and they deserved nil tho credit they. got. A former Minister of Education (the Hon. Mr Hanan) had recently referred to tho great care which was given to tho young people of New Zealand. Ho believed that we were doing ns much for tho rising generation as any other , part of tho British Empire. (Ap- j plause.) At tho same time, 'ho hoped i we were not doing too much for the j young and depriving them of tho upbringing which would make them hardy men and women. This remark j did not, of course, apply in the case | of the Dental School. The fact ro- ! maiacd, however, that societies such as that organised by Sir Trnby King and other wore turning out healthy . bovs and girls with a vigorous consh- j tntion. Tho care of tho aged also received attention. . . I Tho Minister paid a tribute to tho | attitude which the Dental Assocm.t-on i Imd always taken up. The Education Department had appointed dental nurses, who might have, been regarded j by tho Dental Association as compoti-! tors. Far from obstructing the work . of the dental, nurses, however, the Dental Association gave them every help it could. Tho department had ; fifty dental nurses operating at tho present time, and over them were ( twelve qualified men superintending’ their work and attending to difficult cases bevond their skill. He wished to thank publicly tho Dental Associa- : tion for the help given to tho Eduea- i tion Department. I in conclusion, the Minister eongratii- ! ]*ited all concerned on the opening of the new school. Ho knew it would bo successful and would be of immense benefit not only to the students, hut also to tho community in general, because- the students would carry their valuable training throughout New Zealand. He had great pleasure in declaring the new Dental School open. (Applause.)

ASSOCIATION'S CONGRATULATIONS Afr Tv. C. Alnrpefh, chairman of the Executive Council of the New Zealand Dental Association, apologised for the absence of the president, owing to illness in his family. The association asked him to conv-v its congratulations on tho opening of Iho new school. It was on an ideal site, was well built, and had nn excellent equipment. He sincerely trusted that the students of the doiital faculty would cultivate tho spirit of loyally to the association, which was so necessary in the interests of the profession. Air Sidey had been called tho father of dentistry in New Zealand, ami he was the onlynnnnractisin< T member of the Dental Association. He (Afr Alorpeth) suggested to the Minister that in nil matters pertaining to dentistry he could not do better than confer with Air Sidey.

PROFESSOR PICKERILL’S ADDRESS THREE AHLLIO.V TFLTH TO BE FILLED. Professor PickeriH, dean of the dental faculty, wa-s then called on. Ho said ho felt that the assemblage ought to sing the ‘Hallelujah Chorus or something else ol a .P.hihmt charade,to express the general joy at finding tho Dental School at last housed in the new building, thanks lnrg«lv to tho generosity (or, perhaps he should say the wisdom) of the Government in providing the means, and for this aid ho gave- thanks to the Minister of Education ft? representing the Go\ornnient. Thanks were also due to firms in Dunedin and in London for the way they had helloed in equipment and fnrnishinc Tho school owed a deep debt of arulitude to Mr Sidey in that Connertoll fir Ills t .n nf The tees of the Dunedin Savings Bank, R. I Hudson and Co.. Kempthorne, Prosper and Co.’s Drug Company, and 1 others were also thanked very heartily , fn- their assistance ! Professor Piekenll went on to say ! tVit ibis roahv the first Dental ' ‘v-hool which New- Zealand has seen. The building recently left was but an apology for one. The present Dental School was somewhat unique iiom the point, of view/ of arrangement, in that il nearly, if not quite, fulfilled ideals in its main principles. This was possible been mm ideal plans- were first P-mvii. and then a site found to fit. Tim great desideratum was 180 ft of n nohsi niclml smith light, with ground secured lor future development,, if

! necessary, all round. Imagine the d'" ■ rector of a dental school in the ecu tic . of Melbourne, Sydney, London, or a largo American city asking for such a thing. Ho might as veil cry for the moon. Jfc would be, of course, prohibitive and impossible. Practically all other dental schools have had to puichase first the best site within H ieir means, and then adapt Hio building to the site, and it was always tl.ese wretched adaptations which moan sacrifice of ideals and efficiency. _ . , Rumors were heard that this in doing was much too largo and vcl - j equipped. With regard to equipment, i ho (Dr Pickerill) would not have been doing his duty had ho not advised the I University Council as to the moans of I bringing the school right up to U; Ic. Had the aim been only at what was high-water mark live or ten years ago, in another live or ten years we tbould have been hopelessly out of date, it was largely owing to the private generosity of Dunedin citizens and London firms that the equipment has been modernised. As to the equally fallacious suggestion that the building was too large, he would give a few facts so that the people could judge lor fhemI selves. ■ | When Sir James Parr appointed bis i special committee, consist! ig of tno I dentists, the Assistant Direir ofEdu- | cation, and the Government architect, | to inquire into this matter in 1923 ho ! (Professor Pickerill) laid the lull 1 inns | on the table, and said; “Now, gentlemen, if you can see or find anything I widen can be cut out or reduced, please I tell me.” I’he committee considered 1 the matter fully for throe days, and , the only alteration they could suggest was the moving forward of one partition wall between two rooms —not a suggestion even of reducing the size of the building, and the number of students was smaller then than it is now! It had to he remembered that this ’ Dental School of the University ol ' Otago had to supply the whole of the dominion with well qualified and oOi- ' eiont dentists. jit was, therefore, a national institution and it was hoped that the new Minister will take it ' under his wing and seo that_ the authorities were enabled to carry it on, both for teaching and research, in a manner which will be a credit to the I dominion and will do justice to the students who are sent. The whole aspect and objective of dentistry has undergone of late years a radical change. Formerly the rcj storation of lost masticating surface : was the ultimate aim of the dentist. Now, however, it was realised tbatw© i have to train a student tjiat his first object was to eliminate sepsis and infection of the smallest nature, and that no restoration w r as to bo contemplated I until a clean bill of asepsis could be as- ■ sured. j Twenty-five students graduated last 1 year, and it bad been estimated by the j Public Health Department and the Now Zealand Dental 'Association that from twenty to twenty-five per annum was the right number for the dominI ion. This figure should not be exI needed. Some of the sister professions j appeared to have been somewhat overcrowded of late, so that younger graduates were meeting with difficulj ties. The “clinic” provided accommodaI firm for sixty operating chairs. Last term there were sixty-three students taking operative dentistry—twenty-six ' seniors (fourth year) and" thirty-seven juniors (third year). Fortunately three had just qualified at a special examination, so this tei-Li the school can just, and only just, accommodate the number of students it had to teach. There were 113. students (fifty first ! and second year, sixty-three third and ! fourth years) altogether in training at j the end of last term. Hmv on earth these and their patients were crammed into the old school and the Marama Hall he did not know, .ft really was a j nightmare, which, ho hoped, would ! never ho experienced again. In spile, however, of all drawbacks of space am! equipment, the attendances of patients last year at the Dental School tiumj bered 22,507. All patients before admission (unless they are cither nurses [ or students) had to sign a, declaration I that they wore unable to pay for pri- ! vate dental treatment. Many of these : patients, indeed, cannot afford to pay tor the material used in treatment, but now, thanks to the generosity of | the Chancellor, the school would bo 'able to extend treatment to such cases, ami giro them the very best. The idea behind the Chancellor’s gift was ,a splendid one, for it both assisted the : poorer patients and helped with the teaching. (Applause.) | Was it not, however, a sad reflection on the dental condition, especially of the rising generation, when sixty dental operating chains could be kept i occupied daily in a town of 67.000 j inhabitants? Of course, (ho operations j hero were performed on the slow .side, boc.nn.se of the necessity of adequate supervision; but.-nevertheless, the outlook _ was appalling enough from a public health pond of view, H meant, of course, incidentally, that the gradentes had very little difficulty in finding plenty of work ns soon as they' were qualified, and, in fact., were very rapidly absorbed at. satisfactory remuneration. Rut wo should pans-' and ask: “Whither are wo headed?” For un- | less we change onr course he saw i breakers ahead. lie did not propose jt" ffetnre Hint afternoon upon the illeffeel.s and secondary systematic disorders ol oral sepsis. Sufficient to say that all authorities are now agreed that infected teeth are one of the mast common, starting jxuiits of much tenons ill-health. Recent re-enroll in England and America has led to startling results, and cases are constantly being recorded in medical and dcntal'cin-roni literature of obscure conditions of illhealth being at Inst tracked flown to snue dental infection, and only recently in the ‘ British Medical Journal ’ eases of prolonged and baffling high temperature (“ P.U.0.” in the Army) have been found to subside after satisfactory dental treatment Ims been carried out. That teeth can give rise to fever would be a new idea to most people.i Rearing these things in mind, what {do wo find? It is a fact, he believed, J that 97 per cent, of our children have | carious teeth. Dreadful! Ye.s, indeed; hut that was not the worst. If that were all, and each child had only one carious tooth, the matter would ho simple and easy of .solution, but it had j been estimated that from 31) per cent, in 50 per cent, of (he teeth of the 97 I per rent, ol children are defective and infected. This made the problem a vast and apparently insuperable one. 'What did it mean here in New Zealand? It meant that at least three million teeth in children only are at this very moment urgently requiring : treatment. Thorn o 449,200 children d’n the dominion tinder sixteen years of I age. Suppose forty-nine thousand ho | discarded as being too young for dental troubles, and take a round 400,000. i Take the average number of teeth preIfeiit ns twenty-four, and that 40 per I cent, of these are decayed (both mim- ; hers were on the low side), then we get j the startling result that 3,724,800 teeth I are wholly or partially destroyed, j Again being generous, we will say that ! (00.000 have already been treated (which probably was not the case), we are left with tiro appalling problem of how to treat three million teeth for the children alone! And what are we doing about it? There are about 700 qualified dentists (who have most of their time already taken up with adults). Tim State maintains a special service for primary school children, and ii ' >i -.uy o ittaeo Ins a Dental School with over 100 students, but with all this one might as well try to dredge the Otago Harbor wtih a teaspoon as fo cope by means of ordinary dental operations with the ■wholesale destruction of tooth substance now taking place. Three million teeth to bo filled I Think of the lings army of dentists,

students, and “dental nurses” required to cnpo with it. J magi no tho annual expenditure on dentistry. It every dentist in New Zealand were to neglect every adult and devote his whole time and attention to children, they could not overtake tho work, because it is like a recurring decimal—it repeats and goes on and on, and there is no finality. Surgically, tho position js obviously an impossible one. What, then, can ho done? Let me, said Professor Pickerill, ask you a simple question which will answer tho riddle. If you had a beautiful conservatory and small boys were everlastingly breaking the glass therein, would you content yourself merely with repairing the damage done and paying for it." 1 rather fancy you would make it so unpleasant lor the offenders that they would vanish from your neighborhood. In other words, yon would adopt preventive measures, and this is tho only logical and satisfactory met hod ot attacking tho present problem. To put it quite briefly, sufficient research work has been done to enable us to say that wo know that a small quantity of fruit, especially apple, after meals and last tiling at.'night will largely, if not entirely prevent canes occurring.’ but, ol course, will not “cure” it. H some preventive, measures are not adopted the annual dental repair lull of New Zealand bids fair to become intolerable—unbearable to the taxpaver and to tat.hers ol families. II tho remedy is so simple, why is it not universally adopted? For two reasons; Firstly, the expense; secondly, indifference. With regard to expense, (here is no doubt that the great majority of mothers find fruit too expensive to liitv for daily use for their children. It, lias to be. regarded as a luxury instead of a vital necessity. Act tho irony of it! Hero and now in New Zealand we have a. super-abundance of apples, and onr growers are at their wits’ end to dispose ol them. Fureiy this is n ease for Government action and control. Some simple machinery could surely be evolved and kept running smoothly whereby sufficient apples for health purposes for tho children could he stored and rationed at cost throughout the year. This sort of thing we experienced in Lngiand during the war in respect oi tea, sugar, butter, and moat, and tho machinery worked smoothly and excellently. Jf it could ho done at Homo for oi oi forty million people, surely it could be done hero for 400,000 children. I do not know that it would ho necessary, but oven if the State bad to pay a small subsidy it would bo one of the finest investments it could made, and [ am quite sure it would be one ot the must popular. The second reason, indifference, docs not fall within the Government's control. For no Government, I think, ran control tho likes, dislikes, or fashions of the people. The fact is, it is no longer unfashionable _ for even young people to have artificial substitutes for natural teeth. Our grandparents would have been horrified at such an idea in their young days—-even to speak of such things in public was tabu. Now, however, to the classic subjects of polite conversation—dress, domestics, and disease—we might add a '"fill “D.” dentistry! ’ This, of course, is quite good for the dentist, but is eminently bad foi tho public health and welfare, and lor the morale of tho rising generation. Prevention must be largely dependent upon public opinion, and in the shaping of this the Press can do much. If public opinion and fashion both demand good teeth, and look askance at defective teeth, then means will very soon be found of altering the condition of affairs both individually and collectively. I appeal to the might and power of the Press to create this public opinion and to help us to roll back the

tide of dost ruction so disastrous to the children and to the future of this fair land. (Applause.) After Ins speech Professor Pickerill presented to the Chancellor, for use by the University, a maco to bo carried in front of the Chancellor. This mace was made by the staff and students of tho Dental School as a token of affection for their University. It is a. very handsome example of art work, the silver head hearing the University arms. Mr Sidey accepted the gift and returned thanks, and the proceedings closed with a vote of thanks to the Minister and the singing of the National Anthem. $ STUDENTS’ DINNER Tho opening was celebrated by a dinner at tho City Hotel in the evening. Professor Pickerill presided over an attendance ol between sixty and seventy, and the principal guests were Mr T. K. Sidey, ALP. (Chancellor of Otago University), and Mr K. C. Morpeth (chairman of the Executive Council of the New Zealand Dental Association). After the, loyal toast the following toasts were honored The New Dental School,.” proposed by Mr Sidey, and responded to by Professor Pickerill; “Graduates," proposed by Mr Bruce, and responded to by Mr Nicholson; “Visitors.” proposed by Mr Faulkner, and responded to by Mr K. C. Morpeth; “Present Students,” proposed bv Dr Rowland. and responded to hv Air Campbell; “Old Dental School,” proposed bv Dr Tait, and responded to by Air Rose; “The Chairman.” proposed by Air Fiteaillily, ami responded to by tho chairman. A display of apples—fi Been cases given by tfio Co-operative Fruitgrowers nf Otago, Ltd.—was made, in the tea room.