HOSPITAL DISTRICTS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1932, Page 6

HOSPITAL DISTRICTS

•STRONG OPPOSITION IN THE HOUSE..

•WELLINGTON, November 29. Strong opposition to £he provision ir. the Hospitals Bril lor a&Oi.shing hospital districts by 'amalgam a tion waheard in the House to-night, when tli committee stages of the Bill were unde discussion. The principal oppcsitioi came from tile Labour penciled, bui some Government members also show tv dissent. On a division the clause wa. retained Jay twenty-eighty.iyote.s t. twenty, Messrs Atmore, Jull, .Samuel. Hargest and Campbell voting witl Labour.

“The Minister knows the district: which are going to be abolished,” saic ■M# Armstrong (Christchurch East), “and if be does, why hasn’t he tht moral courage to name them in tht Bill.”

The Hon. J. ,iA Young: That is not

Mr Armstrong repeated his assertior and the Chairman of Committees, M’ S. G’. Smith, ruled that he must take the Minister’s word.

“Very well,” rejoined Mr Armstrong “I will take the Minister’s word. He has not been advised of the names o’ the districts to be abolished, and that makes it the worse, for if h e has not he should never have introduced t'nf Bill.” The chairman ruled that this discussion was out of order, declaring that it we,s not 'relevant to Jthe clause under discussion. “I have a commonsonse way of loading the Bill, and I read what there is in it,” said Mr Armstrong. The chairman ; You must not continue in that way. Mr Armstrong asked if the Minister did not know what districts wer e to 'be n'holvshed, what bis reasons for introducing .the Bill. OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE COST The Minister in charge, the Hon. J .A. Young, said he had no ° r closing 'iiny hospitals. The Bjll provided for a commission to inquire toto the amalgamation of hospital districts, and a commission consisting. of a magistrate alone, or a. magistrate and two others, could hear evidence and make recommendations. This only applied where districts could not agree. "We bear the cry everv day that the”a ’« too mu dll cost of Government.” ,-aid Mr Young. “Here’s an opnortuii-f.t-v tor a test of the sincerity of members.”

Mr •Sullivan : The Minister is trifling

with the Houro. Mr Young dec’ aved that He had he-” T”i<s.,”i-ler?tood. There was no .cnecific dlstri'f. in Hind, 'and the •Order-cn-founril -'providing for . amalgamation, word'd be issued after the r°oort of the commission had cous’dored the Minister, and, if approved by him, then approved Cabinet. Tb° charina-n’s ruling as to what matter could be. discresed was challenged bv MH-Lee'(Grey Lvnnl. w'lio declared that unless he was thrown out of the House he 'would discuss the clause relating to the closing of hospitals. He asserted that he wan entitled to ask the- Minister what the clause meant, and .if he was not entitled to ask it the clause should never 'll/, i’i tJio P: 1 1.

Following further-criticism of th" measure a division was called for on the clause, and...it was' retained bv twenty-eight votes to twenty.