LEGISLATURE IN SESSION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12198, 24 July 1925, Page 5

LEGISLATURE IN SESSION

NURSES AND MIDWIVES REGISTRATION BILL * LABOUR MEMBER’S ATTACK ON SIR MAUI POMARE CONTROL OF MATERNITY HOSPITALS Last night the House of Representatives discussed at length Sir Maui Pomare’* Nurses and Midwives Registration Bill. Op- ' position members protested on varioius points, and there was a good deal of talk on the subject of the control of maternity hospitals. During the discussion Mr J. McCombs made an attack on Sir Maui Pomare. 4

When the hill was committed Mr D. G. Sullivan (Avon) entered a protest. It was a serious matter that a bill of this kincr was not referred to a committee of the House, and those interested given the opportunity of making representations, he said. When he had been in Christchurch during the week-end he had been approached by a number of nurses and midwives anxious to know w'hether they would have an opportunity of making representations on the subject, and he liad told them that they would. In doing this ho had assumed that the procedure usual in the case of bills dealing with registration would be followed. There were cases of nurses who had been examined in the Old Country, but whose qualifications might not be as . high as those required in New Zealand, and they should be considered. He gave this as an instance of oversight. He did not assail the principle of the bill, whicl? was a good one, but the method adopted which was the undemocratic principle of forcing the bill through the House. The Minister for Health (Sir Maui Pomare) stated that the bill was loathly a consolfdatory measure with the exception of the sections dealing with a registration hoard for nurses which had been in the hands of the DirectorGeneral of Health. v TheSe were the only things, so it was not considered necessary to defer the bill to a committee. As for English nurses they would be on a footing similar to New Zealand nurses if the training which they had received 1 was equivalent to the New , Zealand training course. It would be manifestly unfair to Dominion nurses to take any other course. “Are . all the matters dealt with in section ' 4 old, or are there any new clauses?” Mr G. W. Forbes (Hurunui) wanted to know. Sir Maui Pomare: Most of them are old. Mr Forbes: There you are. ELASTICITY WANTED Mr T. W. Rhodes (Thames) inquired "what qualifications were required before a woman would he allowed l to practise as a maternity nurse. Would women of long experience but no training he permitted to act? It seemed to him that there should be some elasticity in the administration of the Apt is far as back country districts were concerned. There women frequently had to call unon the services of anyone they could find. Women would he allowed to act in cases of emergency, answered the Minister. Where would the old-time midwife be when the bill became law? asked Mr R. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs). There might be those who had done good service and yet had passed no examinations. They were becoming a close corporation. He protested against section 14, which provided for the establishment of State maternity hospitals, and which, he said, made it possible for the hospitals to be handed over to the various hospital boards. If this was a new clause it meant a further levy upon the ratepayers. Sir Maui Pomare pointed out the word “may” in the section. It was a sroper5 roper thing for every hospital board to ave its own maternity home. They ware handing over the entire buildings to the board. And only a few years ago they had eased the burden on the ratepayers by £60,000. There wais no suggestion of compulsion; some of the boards already had expressed the desire to take over the hospitals. Mr M. J. Savage (Auckland West) wanted to know whether all the hospital boards in the country had considered the matter, and whether their conference had done so. There were only seven boards in the country, answered Sir Maui, and none, as far as they knew, were adverse to it. What if a doctor refused to give a certificate to a woman who was not a qualified nurse P asked Mr F. F. Hockly (Rotorua). There were some doctors who would do that simply because they were not called in. And although the Minister assured them that there was no suggestion of compelling the hoards to take over the maternity hospitals the power was there, and they might not always have so sympathetic a Minister for Health. WANTED TO KNOW MORE - Full information as to the new provisions of the bill was asked l by Mr Sullivan, who repeated his statement

that the Minister had made a mistake in not sending the measure to a oomoiittee. They should be told what the loss of life had been under the old midwifery system, and under the duly established institutions. Mr R. Masters (Stratford) also saw danger in clause 14; this from the point of view of the country districts. The Minister had not told them that most of the saving to ratepayers in the £60,000 of which he had spoken had gone to the cities at the expense of the country. The Government had been compelled to increase its subsidies to the city hospitals because these had not done their duty in the collection of their fees. It was all very well to talk of poor people. A gentleman elected to the Wellington Hospital Board had induced this body to tackle the problem, and they had collected a large amount. If people came from the country to the cit> hospitals the reverse thing happened also. It was not* fair that the rate ahould he based on the capital value of the land. There should be a flat rate. In one district they had 1 the Minister for Health increasing the hospital rate along with the capital value of the land, and the Minister for Lands bringing down legislation to help the settlers with manuring and fencing. The whole system was wrong. MINISTER AGREES The flat rate question had been enquired into by a commission, said Sir Maui Pomare, and the commission had found that it would not do. As to the allegation that they favoured the cities by the reduction this was untrue. There were only two hoards in the whole of New Zealand who had not benefited, Taumarunui and Waitaki. Supposing that they did force the hospital boards to take over the maternity hospitals, they could not force the boards to administer them. The suggestion was absurd. He was quite agreeable that the section should be amended to make it clear that there was no compulsion. Half the Bill was devoted to constituting a new registrar, pointed out the Minister of Justice (Sir James Parr) while the Minister for Health had told them that there was no intention to force the St. Helen’s hospitals upon the hospital boards. No Government which did such a thing ■would live for ten days. Mr Sullivan: Well, will you put it in the Bill? Sir James Parr: Certainly. MR McCDMB’S ATTACK Mr MbComhs said the Minister should agree to send the Bill to the public health committee. While one could not say it was a calamity that the present Minister was in charge or public Health affairs, it certainly waa a public scandal. It was unfortunate that people had to come up against his administration, or maladministration, of the affairs of the department. Sir Maui Pomare: Where’s the maladministration ? Mr McCombs: Where’s the foggy explanation you gave to the House? He does not understand the Bill and is trying to foroe the Bill through the House instead of allowing it to go to the Public Health Committee. . I nave not got sufficient confidence in the Minister to agree to a Bill because he brings it down. Why does he not do what other more competent Ministers do—agree to the Bill being sent to a particular committee. The Hon. Sir James Parr, a former, Minister for Education, defended his colleague. He reminded members that. a conference of hospital boards held in Auckland passed a resolution complimenting Sir Maui Pomare and his officers on their energy and exoellent service in administering the department. The energy the Minister bad put into the work had gained him a host of friends, and Sir James Parr deprecated the personal attack launched against him. Sir Maui Pomare said the remarks of Mr McCombs deserved to he treated with contempt. His judgment did not agree with the people of the country, who were the judges. The Minister indicated willingness to amend clause 14 in the direction of making the transference of hospitals by consent. The first thirteen clauses of the Bill were passed, und then progress was reported, and the House adjourned.