HOUSE Of REPRESENTATIVES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10397, 30 September 1919, Page 6

HOUSE Of REPRESENTATIVES

FIRST MONDAY SITTING. PRIVATE MEMBERS’ NIGHT. The House of Representatives mot at 7.30 p.m. yesterday, ilio .Speaker (Sir F. W. Lang) in the cliair. Questions, with and without notice, arc dealt with elsewhere. The sitting was devoted to private members’ hills. hospitals amendment but. In moving tho committal of tho Hospital mid Charitable Institutions ■V incud incut Bill, Mr A. S. Malcolm (CTutha) asked for tho ruling of the Sneaker as to whether the measure was a uu'olin hill or a local bill. Tho "Speaker said that he had no hesitation in. ruling that, being a but amend a public Act, it was a public .bill. He cited rulings by Mr Speaker tluiuuess and Sir Maurice 0 Ilorke to that effect. Mr Malcolm (Chairman of Commit-, tees) being in charge of the bill, oa the motion ol tho Prime Minister Mr 10, p. Lee (Oamarn) was voted to the chair for the committee stage of the measure. ■ Mr T. K. Sidcy (Dunedin Central) opposed the proposal, under the bill, to separate CTutha and Bruce, the South Otago district, from the Otago Hospital area, on tho ground that the separation must be unfair either to the Dunedin Medical School or to the Otago Hospital Board. It would bo unTaiK'tO the 'Medical School > that special cases from Clutlia and Bruce should not go to Otago Hospital; and, on the other hand, it would be unfair to the Otago Hospital Board if MI meet and Clutlia had a hospital which dealt 'only witl the ordinary cases and scut "tho special cases to Dunedin while not paying rates to th o Otago Hospital BoarS. Sir James Allen said that Dr Linclo Ferguson, dean of the Dunedin Medical School, had telegraphed him that he was strongly opposed to the separation of Bruce and Clutlia from, the Otago Hospital district, which, he held, would seriously react on the Medical School, though undoubtedly provision should bo made to deal with accidents and maternity cases in the CTutha district. Messrs R. McCallum (Wairau), C. E. Statbam (Dunedin Central), and G. Witty (Riccarton) opposed the . .bill on similar grounds. NO APPROPRIATION. Air McCallum said that it was recognised that Glasgow Hospital afforded better opportunities for the instruction of medical students than Edinburgh Hospital because of tho very large industrial area served by the Glasgow Hwpital and the much greater number of surgical cases to be treated.: , Mr B Semple (“Wellington South): More industrial slaves to chop up! . The bill, added Mr McCallum, did not and could not make any provision, by-way of an appropriation, for a hospital, and therefore could have no effect.

.Mr Btatham urged that a cottagu hospital, or a branch hospital to deal ■with ordinary cases ■would meet tho case; but he understood that the South Otago people had never applied to tno department nor to the Otago Hospital Board for such a hospital. Mr Bonnie Stewart (Dunedin West) said that, to his mind, tho telegram from Dr Lindo Ferguson absolutely clinched tho matter. Small hospitals, with small revenues, must mahe for inefficiency. Mr 1. 31. Isitt (Christchurch North) said that practically every hospital board in the Dominion opposed the bill. He had had almost instructions from the Canterbury Hospital Board to do all he could to defeat the bill. The base hospital proposed in the bill would mean less efficiency and would involve the country in groat cx- . pense; as, if this bill was carried other districts would promote similar bills. • - AX ALLEGED STONEWALL. The Hon. W. Nosworthy stated that tho demand for the separation of the South Otago district was due to overcentralisation. The Otago Hospital j‘ Board in tho circular sent to all members, had shown symptoms of a deathbed repentance. The admission that Balclutha should have a cottage hospi- ■ tal or something rather more than a cottage hospital, was, he urged, practically a confession that in the past tho board had neglected its duty to the district. 3lr T. 31. Wilford (Hutt), who opposed the bill, said that he was surprised to ■ find the previous speaker stonewalling the measure, (Laughter.) 3lr Nosworthy -denied that ho had done so. (Laughter.) 3lr C. J. Parr (Eden), amid renewed laughter, asked 3lr 33'ilford if he was stonewalling tho bill. Mr -Malcolm said that Dunedin was .obsessed with the importance of its and.had all .along refused to . ..treat the country districts with justice —That was why they desired separation. Other country districts in tho Dominion which had'secured separation had strongly advised them to go for separation. If the district got a cottage hos..pital under present conditions, tho district would have to. pay for it, but tho Dunedin board would control it, and they could only use it for accidents and maternity cases. One district had a.slctho Dunedin board for an ambulance, and bad raised £IOO for it. The board bought an ambulance for £BO, and kept tho balance. A member; They’re Scotch! (Laughter.) 3lr 3lalcoltn said that the separation would mean a loss of £6OOO in rates to the Dunedin board; but, if the Dunedin valuations, now ten yeans old, were brought up to date as tho Clutha valuations had been, tho revenue of tho -board would be increased fcy nearly £IO,(XX). 3lr J. Vigor Brown (Napier) asked whether tho Government supported tho bill and was prepared to take the matter up and provide tho money for the base hospital proposed. If not. it was simply a waste of time to go on with the measure. At II p.ra. Mr 33’. A. Voitch (Wanganui) moved to report progress. Tho Hon. W. 11. Herrins supported the bill, and urged that to carry the motion would kill the measure. Tho Hon. W. Nosworthy strongly objected to reporting progress Mr 33"iIford charged the Alinister

with speaking; not so much in support of the bill, as witii the view of preventing Mr Voitch’s Proportional Ilcuresontation Bill, nest on the OrderPaper, from coming on. (Laughter.) Mr Nuswortliy: You are not there to cross-examine me. You must not, put words into my mouth. (Laughter.) Members: Order, order! Air Blown: Vou are a -Minister now. Maintain your dignity. (Laughter.) Air H. Semple (Wellington South' said that ho laid been asked by the Kaaangata. miners to support the bill, because they had never • received justice from the Otago Hospital Board. But he supported tho motion to report progress, because he thought that the discussion had called attention to tho neglect of the' South Otago district by tiie board, and the board would now mend its ways. The cottage hospital at Kaiiangata should bo manned, and injured miners should bo treated on tlio spot. Air X. E. Y. Scddon (Westland) sup ported Mr Veitch’s ’motion. To carry tiie motion, he contended, would not kill tho bill, as The Government itself could bring in a measure to do what ivivi necessary., , , „ • On a division at 11.50 p.m. the motion was carried by 19 votes to 18.