Fluoridation Of Water Discussed By Members

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27396, 8 July 1954, Page 12

Fluoridation Of Water Discussed By Members

WELLINGTON, July 7. A denial that the fluoridation of the Hastings water supply was “an outrageous attack on the individual’s freedom” was given in the House of Representatives today by the Minister of Health (Mr J. R. Marshall) when Ministerial replies to members’ questions were being debated. The Mayor of Hastings had invited any citizen anffering harm from the fluoridation of the town’s water supply to produce a doctor’s certificate to that effect, but none had been received, said Mr Marshall to Mr W. T. Anderton (Opposition, Auckland Central). ‘‘As the procedure is safe and harmless, and as it has been initi-. ated by the elected representatives of the people (the local borough council), I do not think it can be called an outrageous attack on the individual’s freedom,” Mr Marshall said. Mr F. L A. Gotz (Government, Otahuhu) said he objected to the application of fluorine to a water supply. There were other means of giving children fluorine without compelling others to take it Sodium fluoride was poisonous, and was advertised as one of the most efficient rat poisons, said Mr Gotz. He could not see the benefit in giving fluorine to people without teeth | or with artificial dentures, he continued, and he doubted whether the result of the Hastings experiment would be beneficial. “I have no doubt that the people of the country would be much more benefited by a daily dose of salts,” said Mr Gotz, “but would anyone suggest that the Health Department should inject salts into the water supply of, say, Auckland?” “Unnecessary Scare Talk” Mr W. B. Tennent (Government, Palmerston North) said he was sorry Mr Gotz had chosen to say that the experiment was dangerous to the public. That was not so. A great deal of unnecessary “scare talk” was being spoken by certain persons who had •‘queer ideas” about the experiment, but the amount of fluorine in the Hastings water supply was absolutely harmless. Mr Tennent said the Hastings Borough Council should be commended for allowing the experiment to go on. Many drugs which were poison were also stimulants and health giving when given in the right quantities. Mr Anderton said he had not asked the question_to create a scare. No local authority had the right to impose on the people a medicated water supply. It would take 30 years to prove scientifically whether fluorine would have any effect on children’s teeth. Mr S. L Jones (Government, Hastings) said that Mr Anderton had attacked the right of the Hastings Borough Council to take a decision it was perfectly and legally entitled to take. The matter was not a political issue, and the authorities were such that the Hastings Borough Council’s decision was justified. Any reasonable government would have to ponder deeply before it took any action to upset the council’s decision, he said. Scope of Issue Winding up the discussion, Mr Marshall said the issue was essentially wlocaL one. and not a national political Mr Anderton: It is a national health one. Mr Marshall said the scheme should certainly not be carried out if there were a risk of danger to the public health, but expert advice showed the only effect on health was to benefit teeth. The issue was too complicated to be left to a referendum, but it could properly be decided by the local representatives. “I think we should proceed slowly,” he said. “I want to see how it will work out in Hastings and Havelock North. At the same time, however, he supported the decisions of the borough councils to go ahead with the scheme.

(New Zealand Press Association)

The Government was assisting with the cost off the schemes “because we consider it important to get the kind of information they will produce,” the Minister continued. But this did not mean the Government would help to meet the cost of other schemes should they be introduced. Price Control From January 1 to June 15, 131 convictions had been made under the Control of Prices Act, said the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr J. T. Watts) in a written reply to Mr J. S. Stewart (Opposition, Arch Hill). Last year, said Mr Watts, there had been 338 convictions. Mr Stewart, discussing the Minister’s reply, said that convictions for breaches of the act were not receiving sufficient publicity in the newspapers, which in that direction had a duty to the consuming public. He did not see that it could be taken from the Minister’s figures that “price pushing” had ceased in any way, said Mr Stewart.

Hospital Heating Technical advisers had told him that there would be no increased smoke or fume nuisance in Sydenham because of the increase in gas production required to meet the needs of the new Cashmere Hospital, said Mr Marshall, replying to Miss M. B. Howard (Opposition, Sydenham).—(F.O.P.R.) Air Service to Chathams The possibility of retaining the fly-ing-boat service to the Chatham Islands was being examined, and it was hoped, notwithstanding the change-over by Tasman Empire airways to landplanes, that it would be possible to arrange for some air service, though perhaps less frequently, said the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation (Mr T. L. Macdonald) to Mr H. R. Lake (Government, Lyttelton).— (F.0.P.R.)

Estuary Bird Life If the Sumner estuary was dredged the Department of Internal Affairs, in consultation with those responsible, would endeavour to protect the bird life of the estuary to the maximum extent compatible with the reasonable development of the area, said the Acting Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr K. J. Holyoake) to Mr Lake.— (F.0.P.R.)

Railway Crossing Signals It was considered that the installation of two additional double-head flashing light signals at the Riccarton road railway crossing now gave reasonable protection at the single track crossing. The Sockburn crossing was a multiple-track crossing, and the Railways Department was investigating the practicability of barrier protection there. This reply was given by the Minister of Railways (Mr W, S. Gopsman) to Mr A. McLagan (Opposition, Riccarton).—(F.O.P.R.) New Dental School The Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie), replying to Mr S. G. Barnes (Government, St. Kilda) said that plans for a new Dunedin dental school were being prepared. When they had been approved tenders would be called immediately. Importation of Comics The application of import control regulations would not be a suitable means of keeping poor quality and sadistic pulp magazines and comics off the market, said Mr Watts, replying to Mr D. M. Rae (Government, Parnell).

“Import control was not intended or designed for a form or censorship, however meritorious the objects might be in this instance,” the Minister said. “In addition, it would not cover publications printed in New Zealand.” Chocolate Prices

Discriminating buying, yes—but a buyers’ strike against prices would lead to unemployment, said Mr Watts during a discussion on chocolate prices.

The Minister, in a written reply to Mr P. G. Connolly (Opposition, Dunedin Central), had said that price increases for cocoa had been approved by the Price Tribunal. During the discussion of the reply, when the question of a consumers’ boycott was raised, Mr Watts said he had no objection to shoppers being more selective, because there was not enough of that going on, but a strike would create unemployment. “There is room for discriminating buying—l don’t think there is half enough of it,” he said. Mr Watts added that more than half the newspaper advertisements today were “prestige” advertisements not listing prices. The policy of “see a thing, buy it, and throw it away” prevalent today was an economy of waste,’ he said.

Mr J. B. F. Cotterill (Opposition, Wanganui) said: “In effect, what the Minister is saying is, ‘No matter the price, one must pay, otherwise one is guilty of the crime of creating unemployment.” Fish Supplies The Minister of Marine (Mr W. S. Goosman), elaborating by way of interjection on a written reply to Mr Barnes, said that a committee was already investigating the fishing industry. It was a Government caucus committee.

Mr Barnes had asked for an investigation to see whether prices could be reduced and the supply increased. A member of the committee, Mr P. Tait (Government, Napier) said it had been set up during the last Parliamentary session. One of the problems of meeting local demand was that New Zealanders would not eat frozen fish. He said the export trade had probably outgrown the industry, and the tendency was to cater more for those overseas markets.

Mr A. H. Nordmeyer (Opposition, Brooklyn), along with other Opposition members, said the inquiry should be such as to enable the public to give evidence. Mr Goosman said the committee had had a number of meetings. It would report to the Government, which would then decide what action to take.