THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1538, 6 September 1912, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

NEW BILLS. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 .yesterday afternoon. Leave-was granted to the Hon. H. D. Bell to introduce a Bill to amend the Births and Deaths Registration: Act, 1908, and a Bill to amend tho Marriage Act, 1908. Both Bills were read a first time, the second readings being made an order of the day for next sitting day.

DEPUTY-GOVERNOR'S POWERS. I'he Deputy-Governor's Powers Bill was ,>ut through its final stages without discussion. UNIVERSITY AMENDMENT BILL. MEDICAL TRAINING. 'During the discussion on the third reading of the New Zealand University Amendment Bill one member made a suggestion to the effect that medicnl men who qualified in .New Zealand should be compelled to", take a. course of study in the big hospitals of London, which suggestion gave xiie to some, discussion. Tho/.Hoh. 'Dr. COLLINS spoke strongly in favour of the New Zealand training, but ajfreed that it would bo an advantage if students at the end of their third or fourth year at tho Otago University were enabled to take, a course in the General Hospital at.. .Wellington, Auckland, or Christchurch. This would be a very great assistance. The students trained at Duntdin got a very excellent training in all the diseases which were common to New Zealand, although ofcourso they might not know much about such diseases as smallpox- and other diseases not common to this Dominion. He had no hesitation in saying that the people of Now Zealand need have no fear in putting themselves under mciTwho "took their degree in this country.

The Hon. C. M. LUKE thought the young meoi trained in Ke'w Zealand compared more than favourably with those who- camo from Edinburgh and elsewhere. The young men trained in Dunedin were very well qualified for their profession. At the same time he thought there might be an amendment in the direction of providing that no young man should be allowed to set up in practice immediately lio left the University. They might well bo made to serve a term in one of the hospitals or under an old practitioner. This, however, was applicable not only to New Zealand-trained men, but to those who took their degrees in tho older universities at Home. .

The Hon. J. B. CALLAN, said he was glad.to.hear Dr. Collins speak as he had done. That hon. gentleman was not a graduate of the New Zealand University, tot of a Londoa.University, and this being so his opinion carried the more weight. Ho knew many men who had qualified in Dunedin, and they had done excellent work. He did not know that any of tbsm,;had. killed .more than the Eng-lish-trained . men had.

A. voice': They.bury their mistakes. Yon

Continuing, the Hon. Mr. Callan said that the students educated at the Bunedin University had ample opportunity of learning how to cure all the diseases prevalent in New Zealand. If the 'suggestion in regard to English training were given effect to it would kill the medical.school in, New Zealand.

The third reading was agreed to and the Bill passed.

. f INFIRM PERSONS' PROTECTION BILL

SECOND ItEADING AGEEED TO.

The Aged and Infirm Persons' Protection Bill, a precis of which was published on Monday, last, was explained at some length, by the Leader of the Council.

Tho Hon. H. D. BELL, in moving the second reading, remarked that honourable gentlemen should look upon the measure with this amount of suspicion—it was in many respects new, and it was a favourite child of his personally. (Laughter.) He had' advocated it himself for some time pa-st. There were, eaid Mr. Bell, a number of people who, by age, illness, disease, "or mental decay, were unable to manage their own affairs, and who were .in tho hands of people who pretended to hold power to act for them. These, people were frequently at-risk of their own act and dissipated'., their wealth' by giving cheques under the delusion that they are immensely wealthy. Sometimes, again, they were prey to people who took charge of .them and had no right to do so. Unfortunately - the families of personsafflicted, as no had indicated, would not have those persons declared mental defectives, and all such cases would be effectively dealt with if this Bill was passed. It was merely a Bill to protect the property of tho person. The Court could protect property and. appoint a person to be the manager of part or whole of the property, and present the dissipation of the. property by the .person himself or tho appropriation of the property by others. In tho course of his detailed explanation of the clauses of tho Bill, Mr. Bell said he had .been asked to include the protection of the property of habitual drunkards in; tlie : '.Bill.. He had. not deoided whether ho would.ask the'.Council to make this addition in committee. He did not want the Bill to be' open to the attack that it was introduced to deal with this particular unfortunate class. Members would have the opportunity of considering this matter later,, and he hoped they would go into it and also into the point of whether persons who.have acquired a habit which affects their capacity should 'be included. It was his desire "to make the Bill such that there could bo no interference by busy-bodies—in fact, that no one should interfere other than those directly concerned. He was not wedded to the proposal, but he hoped that it would pass, as he knew of many cases which made it necessary.

Other Speakers—The Native Race,

.The Hon. 0. SAMUEL supported the Bill.'He did not know when he had read a.Bill with more pleasure. After discussing the Bill in detail, he suggested that it should be referred to the Statutes Eevisiorl Committee.

The Hon. GEORGE JOKES also'supported the Bill. It was an excellent measure, and could with advantage have been introduced before. He hoped the Minister would pursue his suggestion to include victims of alcoholism who could not manage their own affairs.

The Hon. T. KELLY wished to know if the Bill applied toj tlie Native race as well as Europeans.. He thought the interests of the Natives wero entitled to full consideration. (Hear, hear.) The Hon. J. E. JENKINSON thought tho Bill should extend protection also to the dependents of persons afflicted. The Hon. J. B. CALLAN and the Hon. J. BARR also supported the Bill. Tho Hon. H. D. BELL, in the course of his -reply, said that as the Bill stood ho thought it applied to Natives, but to make the matter positivo he would move in Committee a separate clause to enable the Governor-ir-Council to apply such provisions of the Bill as he thought fit ,to Natives. Perhaps they might also allow the Native Land Court certain discretion-

ary powers. % The second' reading was agreed to, and the Bill wo.s referred to the Statutes Revision Committee.

•The Council adjourned at 4.20 p.m. until Wednesday week.