VENEREAL CASES.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15087, 2 June 1919, Page 6

VENEREAL CASES.

SOLDIERS' VIEWPOINT.

fl.'-NITS': ''H^B^ ANHOt MTIOM.I

Christchurch, May 29. At the Returned Soldiers' Conference, ia connection witk veaereal fl£g. Ciices, the executive forwarded the feme--,-, ing remit: —"That it be a recommendation to the My.:'<- ■• : for Deface to amend the regulations with referenco to the treati^Ci. of venereal disease- pafci"Tits, vn ,) d.oV'io the provision's of a punitive character, except such as are jostifiei gat {&& ground of loss of screes fco the State, or such as to provide for cases where the disease has been intentionally contracted or retained." On this 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 the Government for-'its action, but the f-ornmittee .is strongly of the opinion that the same or similar regulations should be enforced upon civilian cases of V.D., and to attain this the O.D. Act should be passed into law. The committee wishes to emphasise that the soldier, by reason of the compulsion to obey the King's Regulations mi reference to the notification of V.D., automatical!.?, and ultimately comes under the Public Health Department, v.-Vronc! the civilian V.D. is under no regulation and is a graver menace to the public health than is the Boldier. The committee further recommends that the position of V.D., as above stated, be placed before the council of the British Medical Association, with the idea of securing; co-nneration in the attempt to hove the CD. Act passed into Inn- "

A brief discussion took place on the TnatW r,f vpnfironl disfappß. ond Mr. Luxfbrd (Waikato) expressed the hope that publicity in the most emohatic way Avould be given to' the returned soldiers' desire to have the venereal diseases' -problem tackled courageously and legislation passed regarding it. The chairman remarked that what was necessary was insistence on notification. Until the cases were notifiable, how could they be traced? The whole point was not'the C.D. Act, but tae notification.

Mr. Cowleß (Masterton) moved that the concluding words of thn report "to have the C..D. Act pas-^d into law," be altered to rend ltt.o have venereal diseases made notifipble M ■Rev..Mr Walter (Christcburch)' supported both the report and tb P amendment, which were "carried, and the report as amended was adopted.