VENEREAL CASES

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10293, 30 May 1919, Page 5

VENEREAL CASES

SOLDIERS' VIEWPOINT

DISEASE SHOULD BE MADE

NOTIFIABLE.

Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, May 29

At the Returned Soldiers' Conference, in connection with venereal diseases, the executive forwarded the following remit:—"That it be a recommendation to the -Minister for Defence to amend the regulations in reference to the treatment of venereal disease patients, so as to delete the provisions of & primitive character, except such as are. justified on the ground of loss of services to the State, or such as to provide for cases where the disease has been intentionally contracted or retained." On thi> remiT; the committee had no further recommendation to offer. The report continued: —"The | committee recognise the value of the regulations concerning the treatment of- V.D. cases returning to New Zealand, and commends tiie. Government for its action, but the committee is strongly of tha opinion that tho eame or similar regulations should be enforced upon civilian cases of V.D., and to attain this the CD. Act should bo passed into law. The committee wishes to emphasise that iihe soldier, by reason of the compulsion to obey the King's regulations in reference to tho notification of V.D. automatically, anu ultimately conies under the .Public Health Department, whereas tho civilian V.D. is under no regulation and is a graver menace to the public health than is the soldier. The committee further recommends that tho position of V.D., as above stated, be placed before the council of the British Medical Association, with tho idea of securing co-operation in the attempt to have the CD. Act passed into law." A brief discussion took place on the matter of venereal diseases, and Mr , Luxford (Waikato) expressed the hope that publicity in tho most emphatic way would be given to the returned soldiers' desire to have the venereal diseases' problem tackled courageously and legislation passsed regarding it. The chairman remarked that what was necessary was insistence on notification. Until 1 the cases were notitii able, how could they be traced ? Tho whole point was not the CD. Act, but the notification.

Mr Cpwles (Masterton) moved that the concluding words of the report, "to have the C.D. Act passed into law," be altered to read "to have venereal diseases made notifiable." ' The Rev. Walter (Christchurch) supported both the report and the amendment, which were carried, and the report as amended was adopted.