REGISTRATION PROPOSED

Southland Times, Issue 19333, 27 August 1924, Page 6

REGISTRATION PROPOSED

BILL BEFORE THE HOUSE CIVIL AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERS. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, August 26. In the House of Representatives to-night, the Minister of Public Works moved the second reading of the Engineers' Registration Bill. Mr Coates, in doing so, said that the Bill was designed to enable civil and mechanical engineers to register. A Board was to be set up to examine qualifications but there was no compulsion about registration. In this way it met the objection by many local bodies who urged that their foremen or inspectors often had just as good practical experience and knowledge as any civil engineers. The local bodies could employ whom they pleased but no one who had not satisfied the Board as to his qualifications would be entitled to describe himself as a qualified engineer. Mr T. M. Wilford objected that the educational limits imposed by the Bill were too narrow to permit many desirable persons to come in under the Bill. He also asked that wider provision be made for soldiers whose studies were interrupted by the war. He agreed with the general principle of the Bill which was to protect the public against incompetent men, but he thought there should be a proper definition of the term “engineer.” In Committee, he would move certain amendments.

Mr J. Edie urged that surveyors should b? permitted to come under the Bill.

Mr O. Hawken urged the House to be cautious about establishing another close corporation. Hon C. J. Parr said the Bill was long overdue. In no country in the world had more money been wasted through incompetent engineers than in New Zealand. They had only to study the history of their harbours to realise that the demands of the Bill were not severe. The door was so wide open that probably 90 per cent, of men working for local bodies would be able to register under the measure. If the Bill had a fault it was that it did not go far enough as it should make registration compulsory upon all those who wished to practice engineering. Conditional approval was given to the Bill by Messrs D. G. Sullivan, J. S. Glenn, J. A. MacPherson, R. A. Wright, J. W. O’Brien, G. S. Smith and Hon D. Buddo. Mr H. E. Holland said that he had no desire to put obstacles in the way of ensuring that men engaged in engineering should have the necessary qualifications but he did not wish to impose undue hardship on those now following this business. After the Minister had replied, the Bill was read a second time.