PUBLIC HEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 December 1918, Page 6

PUBLIC HEALTH.

important advances. UNDER THE NEW ACT. "I have" read with great safsf action/" stated the Bon. G. W. Russell to a Times representative on Friday, "t':t resolution come to by tbo group captains and prominent cpidemis-iijjiiters t,t Wellington, to set lip a .'nib-committee fur the purpose of drawing up a general report regarding tlie work done during the recent visitation, with a view to maintaining a permanent organisation which will be available iii connection with any future epidemic, and 1 sincerely trusi that the workers in other centres will adopt the same :&[Vr»e. During ths discussion several importani questions were raised. The first one to which I will refer is the registration of lodginghouses. Under section 295 of the Muni eipal Corporations Act, ISOS, a city or borough council had power o? its own motion to make by-laws in respect of lodging-houses, hotels, and houses occupied by more than one family, and the powern given under the section were very wide, "It has now teen repealed, however, and ltiore drastic powers ht.ve been provided under section 12 of ths Public Health Amendment Act. This section requires any nlace where more than five lodgers arc in residence to be licensed, ns also anV house or tenement in which more than <vne family resides or any room for the 'Occupation of more than two persons- Ample power exists for the malting of regulations under this section of the Act. The law on this point hitherto applied only to municipalities. hut it will now obta'n throughout the entire Dominion. The policy of the Public Health: Amendment Act is that whatever laws are applicable'to cities and towns shall be appllctricts.

"With regard to the matter of the improvement of insanitary portions of the city, elauso,.2P3 of Hip Municipal Corporations Act provides for -wide powers. More direct machinery still ir, provided hy clause 11 of the new Act, for the purpose of enabling the objects of the original clause to be attained. Under clause TO of the Municipal Corporations Act, it is provided that the council iaay appoint a duly certified medical practitioner as medical office.' ; but under clause 20 of the new measure tho Minister is given power to require a council of any borough having a .population of more than 5000 to make such an appointment. It. thezefoie, will be seen that in these three important respects a very great advance has been made." Another important clause in that which enables the Minister, on the recommendation of the Board of Kealtk, to establish and maintain lecturers, in-, struetors, training classes, gymnasiums, etc.. in the interests of public health. This clause is intended to widen the .opportunities of training in nursing. Already suggestions have been received from the Women's National Reserve and the St. John Am'biilanee Society that these organisations should be taken advantage of for the purposes of the scheme, and the Minister Ims promised that he will confer with them before the scheme is brought into force.. The intention, however, is that there shall be I no charges for the lectures or for -he 'certificates that will Ge issued, and that the cost of knowledge on these matters shall he nil. seeing the great importance of training in nursing being given to the public.