MOTOR DRIVERS’ LICENSES

Otago Witness, Issue 4029, 2 June 1931, Page 24

MOTOR DRIVERS’ LICENSES

EXAMINING DOCTORS RESENTMENT IN WELLINGTON. WELLINGTON, May 28. Consequent upon the new regulations for obtaining motor drivers’ licenses coming into force the Wellington City Council at a recent meeting appointed three doctors—Dr D. Brown, Dr P. F. M'Evedy and Dr E. L. Marchant—to examine applicants for licenses to drive public motor cars or motor omnibuses. This action has been greatly resented by the medical profession for giving as it does a monopoly of one class of work to three selected men. It is pointed out that no other practitioners have had any opportunity of applying for the positions, and as medical examination is compulsory at “the applicant’s expense the men who have been fortunate enough to secure appointment are certain of a large amount of work. Interviewed by a Dominion reporter, a leading city doctor said that the action of the council cast an invidious aspersion on the medical profession as a whole, as any practitioner who was not chosen might be regarded by the general public as incompetent, unfit or not in a proper position to grant a certificate. Such a stipulation, he continued, directly destroyed the liberty of the subject, in this case the motor driver, who had to pay the fee himself and who was unable to choose his. own private doctor or his lodge doctor but was compelled to go to one of three specially mentioned men. Practically all registered practitioners in Wellington had done medical examination for all life insurance companies which required a very much severer test than that under the Motor Vehicles Act. The Act did not limit the number of practitioners that might be appointed. It merely stated, inter alia, that “an applicant for a license shall furnish to the local authority from a registered medical practitioner approved for the purpose by the local body a certificate.” Where the words registered medical practitioner were mentioned in any Act it always meant any registered doctor, not one or two specified ones.