, 1888-02-29

Draft it was only a fee to be paid, now il
is to be travelling expenses besides fee,
and when the thingiS not perfectly fixed, the
physicians will charge what they like.
The GOrtrn0r said the honorable Mem
Der is miSG aiken, the phys clans can not
charge what they like. Il the former
Draft as amended at 2nd discussion there
could be no question of travelling eXpen-
Ses, because it was proposed that any
planter should perform the corpse inspec-
ton on his Owl estate, when of course he
would have no use for convey ance, for
passing from his own dwelling down to
the village; when the doctors live III
town and the inspections are made there,
no travelling expenses will be charged,
only when the doctors have to travel in
the country to perform the inspection,
they must have travelling expenses paid.
and the colonial Treasury will then pay
for those who cannot afford to pay. AS
to the question, how the public physicians
are to overcome the work, he would OBJ
serve that there are 3 public physicians in
the Island; they can overcome the duties
so required Of them; he, the Governor,
could answer for that.
3rd Member for FrederikSted Country
District (He1cjt1 said, if the choice were
left to the party, SO that he could employ
the services of any one of the 3, it might
be different; but here we will be limited
for FrederikStpd to one man we might
have to send to ChriStianSted to get a
corpse inspection made. There are too
few physicians in the Island to allow of
any compulsory measure in that respect,
and then we may be charged whatever the
doctor likes.
The Governor said The physician is not
to charge for every time he takes a trip
for inspecting; the doctor is to get a fixed
sum.
3rd Member for FrederikSteI Country
District (HclcjttJ that liked sum is for
corpse inspection for the poorer classes.
The (GJUer00r) said he could not under
stand the opposition; it has been already
stated, thar almost all planters have en-
gagged Doctors 10 attend their estates
those D )ctorS will of course perform the
corpse inspection; if they viii not, the
planter has it in his power to change the
physician.
2nd Member for Frederiksted's Country
District (Srit@er) said if this measure could
lead TO our getting more doctors i'll the
Island, then il might do to say that corpse
inspection Shall be made by medical men,
and when there are more Doctors, then the
terms could not be as high. 1t is all
right to say, we can make agreements
with the physicians, but they can say, they
won't take less than "A certain sum, on
which they are all agreed. Physici-
am are inclined to look more upon the
money than upon the profession. If there
fore this Ordinance could lead to our get.
ting more Doctors on the Island, and if it
can be made SO that the Doctor in attend
ance on the Estate shall be bound to per,
form corpse inspection, the Draft might
nave a more favourable consideration than
it BIAS now.
The Governor said, it is no doubt so,
that in most cases where one of q family
dies, the corpse will not be buried without
the Doctor seeing the dead; hence, in
point of fact, the Draft will not be entail.
ing any great difficulty, it will rather, il
carried out into effect, be a great boOn to
the Island, as in time the Ordinance en-
forcing reports of deaths, the regulations
concerning Midwives and the corpse in
specliOn, must tend to produce such i'm
provements as will tell Sensibly on our
labOur force, and thus reuder foreign
immigration useless. He therefore hoped
that the Council will vote for the Draft,
in fact he could not see how the Govern
ment could go further than done.
End Member for Christiansted's Country
District (Raphae0 said he thought there
will be experienced great difficulties in
oarruinC ont the measure involved i'm fins