1.—7.

A. HOBY. I

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requiring a sufficient course of study? —I could give you a list of the affiliated schools of America. When these matters have been brought before us as a Dental Board they have been submitted to the Governor in Council, and the Governor in Council has always decided in this way —whether the man would be admitted in England. 47. I do not know that we can do that, because, taking the medical qualification, the English authorities do not view matters exactly as we do; and many of the German qualifications required in other branches are superior. So that we cannot be guided by that. Is there anything else that you can suggest at all? —I can give you an instance of an anomaly that occurred here. A dentist came from America with a very inferior medical degree and a first-class dental degree, but could not register as a dentist. He only wanted to practise dentistry. He registered under his medical qualification, and practised dentistry upon that. It was certainly a very second- or third-class medical degree that he had, but he was enabled to register under that. 48. Why should he not have registered under his dental degree —because he would require an examination? —Yes, he would have had to go up for examination again. 49. Do you intend to insist upon examination in the case of all Americans, or in the case of Americans who do not belong to the affiliated institutions? Which do you intend to insist upon? —Speaking as a member of the Examining Board, I think they ought all to be examined, because we find so many defective. 50. Do you think that a man, after having practised, say, five, or six, or even eight years, is able to pass an examination in the same way as a very much inferior student might pass it?-— No, he has got rusty. 51. There is in all courses a lot of work which one gets up for an examination and which is really of not very much importance afterwards? —Yes. 52. Could not some examination be devised which, would be sufficient for the case of a man who had obtained his qualification outside? —That could be done. 53. Take Mr. McNab and myself, who are lawyers. It is some time ago since we passed, and though I am an examiner in one subject of our University I should be very sorry at the present moment to go up and tr} r to pass an examination in some branches of law? —Yes. You would not be allowed to practise in America without undergoing some examination. 54. By insisting upon a theoretical examination we might be depriving the community of the services of men who have a good practical knowledge of their work, but yet might not be able to pass in some minutiae which they had forgotten ? —That might be. 55. You think the case would be met if something in the nature of a practical examination pure and simple were provided, apart altogether from the ordinary examination ? —To my mind, if we open the door to all the American colleges, where they turn the graduates out by the thousand every year, the result would be that the American dentists would come in and Hood the country to the detriment of our own students whom we are going to educate and examine. 56. Ido not say without examination at all. I say, if these men show themselves by practical examination to be fit persons to be allowed to practise —and only in that case--should not some distinction be made between them and persons who have not passed an examination 1 I understood you to say it could be done? —It could be done, but I think it would be unfair unless reciprocal treatment was given to our students. 57. Mr. McNab.] If a student who had gone through the course in the Pennsylvania University were to apply for registration in this colony, would you make him sit for examination again, Mr. Hoby? —That has been the rule of the Wellington Bo.ard so far, and it has been so with the Dunedin Board. 58. Is that your desire, speaking for yourself ?—Yes; I think they should be subjected to examination. 59. And the Pennsylvania University Dental School is one of the best in the world? —Yes. Of course, it is a foreign country —it is not an English country. 60. If a student was registered as having passed the examination in one of the British colonies, say, Victoria, would you let him in without examination ? —I think it would be advisable in that case; it is a British country. 61. Then you would allow a man to work at dentistry in this country, not on account of the value of his training, but because he hailed from a British country ?—Yes, preferential treatment 62. Which is more likely to be the better to qualify a man for dentistry —preferential treatment or skilled scientific training? —You would get the skilled scientific training at the Victorian University. 63. Is it not nonsense to base a qualification for dentistry on a political issue like reciprocity, and not upon skilled training —is it not a wrong way of proceeding about a thing? —The point, to my mind, is whether we should admit all foreign dentists or not, including Americans. We do not admit them as lawyers. It seems to me that you might as well do away with our examination altogether and permit the American dentist to take the field. 64. Do you not think that the soundest basis to proceed upon is to see that the applicant is qualified? —Unquestionably. There is no question that the University of Pennsylvania does qualify a man. 65. And all other matters are insignificant compared with that?- That is so, from that point of view. It is absolutely correct from that point of view. 66. Mr Ell.] You said that you were not quite certain as to the exact procedure in the training in the Anlerican colleges ? —I did not mean to say that, The whole training is done in the college rather than with the private individual, -as we have it here and as is the case in England. The. system in England is very much abused. Sometimes a young man goes and does nothing at all during his three years. He has got to put them in somewhere, and he gets very little good out of it. Then he does two years at the college, which is where all his training should be done, as I think.