“FALSE ECONOMY"

New Zealand Times, Volume XLI, Issue 9514, 23 November 1916, Page 6

“FALSE ECONOMY"

AN UNNECESSARY TRIP STATEMENT BY MEMBERS OF DENTAL PROFESSION. A prominent member of tho V> cllingbiit Dental Association, interviewed by v ‘'Times” representative yesterday with regard to the letter appearing in that morning's “'limes” under tin; liead- . g “False Economy,'’ in which it was stated that “it is now common report llist the Director of Dental Services, Lieutenant-Colonel Hunter, is within r, day or two ot departing for Groat Britain,'' said that he understood, from all accounts, that tho report was correct., “I certainly agree with tho writer of the letter."’ he added, “that there* sc.-aus to he no sound reason' for Lieutenant-Colonel Hunter to proceed Home. A statement published in the London ‘.•’aily Telegraph’ in September lost would appear to indicate that Hie may L-o going to the Old Country to assist 'lie authorities with his advice in regard to the - ' formation of a British Army Dental Corps. Tbo ‘Daily Telegraph - stafed that New Zealand had done good work in establishing a properly recognised dental corps for the A'riny before tho war, and that it Vas done in no half-hearted or niggardly fashion; whereas, when the British Dental Association approaclred the !War Office on the outbreak of wav With offers of professional assistance End financial help—offering to organise a dental corps and to provide the motors for its equipment—their offer was declined. The dental hospital which was operated for soine months in a short distance behind tho New Zealand lines, was, stated tho ‘Daily Telegraph,' the first in the history of British warfare to enable the then to have their teeth attended to kithout going down to the base. Tho hospital was in charge of Captain F. I’. Tvinons, N.Z jI.C.. of Christchurch, Who was in Gallipoli until the evacuations, and is now established at the Reserve Group Camp at Sling.”

CORPS FORMED AFTER WAR BROKE OUT.

'".As a matter of fact,” ho said, “tho . statement in the ‘Bail;- Telegraph' is incorrect. There was no juch thing as a dental corps in connection with the .Now Zealand Forces prior to ( tho war. The corps was not formed until twelve months after the outbreak of the war, and the present Scheme is practically based on the American scheme. The American Army has had a dental corps for many years. Probably for,, ten or fifteen years they have had a dental branch both for the Army and the Navy, and the Now' Zealand scheme is gathered up from them a good deal. There haems to bo no reason why Lieuten-ant-Colonel Hunter should go Home for the Defence Department, and if the reason for the trip is to give advice to the military authorities at Hbmo with regard to the establishment of a British dental corps, all that is necessary could easily bo done by correspondence. A WASTE OF MONEY.

■•Whenever the Defence Department lias been approached on the Question Of appointing _ more dentists in eaup to cope with ’ the enormous ’"amount of dental work that has to bo "done, the Minister for Defence always complained of . the expense. The expense would bo too great, and it seems, therefore, strange to find that ha is propArsd to waste money, for .that is what- it is, in ,my view, in ■Bondjeg Lieutenant-Colonel Hunter -Homo. When the corps was established, dentists had already been sent to the front with the troops. Ten dentists, in fact, went with the Slain Body of the Expeditionary forces. There were ten troopships, And oca dentist wont with each ship.TTie Wellington Dental Association were asked by the medical branch of ,the Defence * Department to recom%nend dentists for the positions. Four out of the ten posts had been previously filled, but wo ‘recommended (about ton, and .six, at, any rate of tho Vlontists who went wore recommended bv the association. I don't &eo any need [for Lieutenant-Colonel Ilunter >o go Homo, and now that the dental t'orps has been properly established, 1 (Consider that one 'or ' at. most two senior officers would be sufficient to parry.it on. Tho brunt of the work really falls on the shoulders of those dentists who volunteered to do the Work in the camps. WORK OF CIVILIAN DENTAL CORPS. ■‘There is, besides, a civilian dental corps lormed in all the centres throughout Now Zealand, and they do the dental work for recruits' practically at cost price. They get a small fee, which barely covers the cost of the material involved, so that, to all intents and purposes, they do tho work free, and the Government pays for tho material. l r p to the present, however, tho services of the civilian dental corps have not been fully appreciated, either by the Defence Department or Fy the general public. The amount of •work they had put through has been very groat, and it has fallen very heavily on dentists, who arc, at tho same time, carrying on their own ordinary practice. It calls for a great cacrifico on the part of tho dentists in tho civilian corps, and tho work they are doing redounds to the credit of their patriotism, seeing that they practically get almost no payment for their work. There are probably several dentists —one, at any rate —who have been doing this work from the inception of the civilian dental corps for nothing, in order to ‘do their bit’ and to facilitate recruiting. I may say that some feelhig has arisen, owing to Dio fact, that tho offer of. tho dentists to treat indigent recruits freo has been taken advantage of by men well able to pay. But, in spite of this abuse, tho dentists have continued to ’ work. though at the-samo time suffering a good deal by it. There is no doubt about tho importance of dental treatment for soldiers, and tho Defence authorities have had their eyes opened as regards tho enormous amount of work that is necessary to, put the average recruit’s mouth in a thoroughly healthy condition. ’ - EVERY REASON FOR RESENTMENT. Asked whether he thought that tho dentists who were originally appointed to tcinmpany the troops would resent aa officer, who had not been heard of in connection with military work when they were selected, being sent to the front and put in control of them, lie replied that he. considered that -those dentists, would, have every reason ro resent such treatment, as they had in many cases given up extensive practices in. order to go up to_

the firing line, and lend aid to the suffering spldiers; and there was no doubt that they had done wonderful work in that direction. “As a matter of fact,” ho continued, “there was no necessity for a dental corps to be formed apart from the Medical Corps. I think it should have remained as it was at first, h. branch of the Medical Corps. The dental work could have been just as well controlled by the medical officers, who would have received all necessary advice from, (the Dental Associations of tho Dominion. In my opinion, tho dental corps is only a branch of tho Medical Department. and no encouragement should have been given by the Defence authorities for the formation of a separate unit, with all tha additional expense thereby entailed. The only reasfih for the formation of such a unit would seem to be for the personal aggrandisement of those at tho head.”