DEARTH OF DOCTORS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11685, 29 April 1916, Page 9

DEARTH OF DOC TORS.

THE MINISTER'S njFjpiflE;' CFROM OtIE. CoBSESPOXmECT.] fii 1 WELLINGTON, April 28.- * The Minister of Internal Airsirs, whose duties are numerous enough and onerous enough at any time to keep him fully employed, has additional bur-'' dens laid on his shoulders jusb now by the scarcity of doctors. Of course/ th« local medical men would resent 'an? suggestion that their dispute with the Friendly Societies turns on the question of supply and demand, but it is not-iiß-reasonable to assume, that if their nuni-' j he\-& were greater their demands in tha' j way "of tees and charges would''o9 | smaller. Coiupptitiojij after all. is ju&' i as: much the sou) of as ; \r is the soul of business', and if tfife. j Wellington doctors wero not so dreaH-. j fully overworked as they Say they aris/ i probably they would Lave been more jnj; ; dined "to meet the Minister and thai Friendly Societies half way. As it &",! Mr Russell has pleaded with themja vain. - The war has decreased the supply* without, lessening tho andwhat the free-traders regard as inevitable has happened—prices have gone up. Then the Minister has another trouble on his hands from the operation' of the same law. Doctors are wanted' for the backblocks, for country ho^ : tals and for similar institutions, "and they cannot be got in the, numbers »-, quired. Settlors are sending urgffft requests to the Minister to make pWYV sion for their needs in some other, and he; poor man, is doing--hjs best, but he does not pretend that ha best is as good as he would like "Vto be. In one case a scattered community in the far north is making grave cofc* plaints against the only doctor wftßni its reach, and in another a bigMy qualified lady practitioner has uqdfF" taken rough work that would tas tajj strength of a robust man, Mr R-usseJL; is deluged with correspondence on ifle subject, and is giving it his symp&thetio attention, but simply there are :BW enough doctors to go round. and'tuli the Bupplv is increased many districts must bo left' practically, to shift-fa* themselves. ~.£