BY BACK DOOR

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 9 October 1924, Page 5

BY BACK DOOR

A MINISTER’S PRINCIPLES. .. • i GOVERNMENT BILL OPPOSED. BY HON. C. J. PARR. (By Telegraph.—Special to Star.) WELLINGTON, Oct. 9. A singular position was disclosed in the House last night' when a Minister was found strongly opposing a Government measure. Maui Pomare had moved that the Dental Amendment Bill be committed, urging that it would' give a reasonable chance to a number of dental assistants to qualify for registration by examination Hon. C. J. Parr, Minister .of Education, formerly Minister of Justice, stated that he‘promised the Dental Association in 1921 that a similar Bill to the present would be the last. There should be no more back-door legislation. Mr. Armstrong: - That should be binding on everyone/ : Hon. Parr added that he " did not blame his colleague, Sir Maui Pomare, who was of a generous character, but large sums had been spent .on tbe Otago Dental College, and it was unfair that there should be seven- 'more examinations for men who had failed. “I am not going to vote for a Bill, even if introduced, by Cabinet,” concluded Mr. Parr, “if it means violatiflg my word.” ; (BY TEI/KClllA '’ll- —i-'SS ASSOCIATION ' WELLINGTON, Oct 8. The Hon. Sir M. Pomare, in moving that the House go into committee on the Dentists’ Amendment Bill, said the Bill proposed to give certain dental assistants a further opportunity to pass .examinations. He knew there was opposition to the Pleasure, because it was said that these men wanted to get into the profession by means of. the back door. When the ’Bill was ■ before the committee he asked what this, back door meant, and he was told that they had not been through the university. If that was the principle to be followed, then. 92 per cent. of . the dentists in New Zealand should not be in practice, because they had not been through the university. Only eight per cent, of the practising dentists had been through the university,: so that the house was back to front —the back door was evidently the front door. It was an elementary principle of British justice that no man should he deprived of his living,' and that was what this Bill sought to secure to these men, many of whom had been soldiers and had served at the front. He was out to help the “under dog,” and that was why the Bill had been introduced —to give "these men ah opportunity to pass the examination until 1928.

The Leader of the Opposition. (Mr. T. M. Wilford) said, he would support the Bill, as he thought that there should be no limit to the time in which dental assistants should have the right to sit for their examinations. - At 12.30 a division was taken on the Minister’s motion, and the House agreed to go into committee by 34 votes to 18. Progress was, however, reported a few minutes later, and the House rose at 12.35 a.m. till 2.30 p.m/ "