REJECTION OF RECRUITS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2585, 6 October 1915, Page 6

REJECTION OF RECRUITS

FOR BAD TEETH. i- Tho rejection of men offering for ser-i-ic&: with, tlio Expcditionary Forces on account of the unsatisfactory state of , their teeth, was,the: subject -of :a•'question in the Houso of Kepresentatives yesterday. ' Mr. H. J. H. Okey asked the Minister of Defence whether his\ attention : Lad been called-by' the examining. officers t-o of the chief causes of rejection : ofa. number j of recruits—tho state of their teeth. Ho said .that ■young men m the back-country were Ifacedi'Trith-'difißculties .in'^■■ getting- ; their .'.fe^th/attended to, .'owing , to -tEe'; time and money that they had to spend in visiting a toivn for the purpose. < He asked that' the. Minister should; see that provision was . made 'that these -men be attended to at the: camps -by -fully;qualified-dentists.-, ■ The Hon. J. Allen said thai) tliO'ex..ainining officers; had. not drawn. his .at-' ; tention to the matter, but his attention -had/been drawn to.:it;.by/;other".people; fl?he Defence Dopartment accepted: men for:service only after they had passed thp medical examination.;.- ; A number ~of ' men. were, rejected because of bad ■ teeth,, but not so many as the honour- ;. iible member, seemed to - think; and these: could not be accepted for service until i their teeth were put. right. Who was to-put them rights.-'. That was tho ques-. ;i tion. i In. the, first instance •it - was a man's,.duty to put his own teeth-iight,' . but some could not afford, to do it. ■Nor did he think that the Defence De- ■ ipa-rtment should do all the work, but the (Department had made arrangements ! ;.(.with.'' the' dental 1 . ,tain cases bright.'' '-With- regard to the: fees, . the men would be asked to pay j . when, they could. If the men could j not pay,-ho would sugge'st that/ the costmiglit' well .be;.borne by the peoplo.m the'districts from ivhich 'the men' came. 'He; knew; of ■no better object to which i ■ the' funds of: local, .patriotic V-societies ":ould be devoted than the equipping of -/men; for service at the. front, even to '■the extent , of - putting their: teeth right.' Defence Department did : pay / for £iho treatment of men for. ininor teeth ytroubles,/occurring/in, camp, 'and they: had .under - consideration a proposal to sstablish -dentists in tho camp. .There /was no accommodation in camp,, how--'ever,/;for: a;^ large dental establishment, 'but a proposed arrangement;witH; the'l : kDental Association j was at present 'uri"•ler cgnsjderatioiu . • . •. ,/,