QUALIFIED ENGINEERS.

Northern Advocate, 27 August 1924, Page 5

QUALIFIED ENGINEERS.

REGISTRATION OPTION

ADVANTAGE TO LOCAL BODIES. (Special to "Northern Advocate.") WELLINGTON, This Day. The Engineers Registration Bill was before the House last night. The Minister of Public Works said that the bill was designed for the purpose of allowing the engineering profession to register and it applied to civil and electrical engineers. Previously it had been objected that a bill of that description made it compulsory that everyone practising as an engineer would be forced to register, but the present measure did not propose to do that. It allowed men practising as engineers to register after the board had examined their qualifications. The bill would riot make it compulsory on local bodies to employ registered engineers, which met an objection previously raised by some local bodies that their foremen were equal to any engineer in qualifications, but could not register as engineers. The Minister said that some legislation of the kind was wanted, as there was now no guarantee to the public that men stating that they were engineers were qualified. Mr Wilford urged that returned soldiers whose studies had been interfered with by the war should be given more than 12 months in which to register. The Minister said that the point could be considered in committee. He would be glad to go into the question of exact definition of an engineer to which Mr Wilford had drawn attention. The Registration Board should be broad-minded enough to accept the registration of men who, though not possessing diplomas, were well qualified in other respects. The bill was read a second time.