Legislative Assembly Hansard 1945
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Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly THURSDAY, 18 OCTOBER 1945 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Queensland Parliamentary Debates. l.egtslattbt ~ssemblp. SECOND SESSION OF THE THIRTIETH ~ARLIAMENT Appointed to meet AT BRISBANE ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF AUGUST, IN THE NINTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE VI., IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1945. •[VOLUME 2.] THURSDAY. 18 OCTOBER, 1945. Mr. WAN STALL: May I be permitted to direct my question to yourself~ .M~. SPEAKER (Hon. S. J. Brassington, Mr. SPEAKER: Order! Th€ hon. mem Fortitude Valley) took the chair at 11 a.m. ber should consult May. QUESTION. PAPERS. PRICE OF MACAR{)NI. The following papm·s wer.e laid on the lllt'. PIE (Windsor) asked the Acting table and ordered to b€ printed:- I':remier- Report of the Agricultural Bank for the . ''With a view to preventing the exploita year 1944-1945. tiOn of the Queensland public, will he ascer Report of the Department of Harbours and tain from the Price Fixing authorities the Marine for the year 1944-]945. circumstances which influenced their decision in granting pernnsswn to a Report upon the operations provided for macaroni manufacturer in Innisfail to sell by Part IlL-Aid to Development, of to retail stores bulk macaroni whilst such 'rh€ Financial Arrangements and Develop ment Aid Act of 1942 for the year goo~s were in short supply because of serv1ce demands at 12s. 8d. per 22-lb. case, 1944-1945. cartage Innisfail, plus freight to Brisbane, Report of the Department of Agriculture plus 122 per cent. sales tax, costing into and Stock for the year 1944-1945. store 18s. 2d. per case, as against t;he cost of similar goods from Melbourne at 7s. per A UDI'l'OR-GENERAL 'S REPOR'J'. 22-lb. case, f.o.b. Melbourne, costing into DATE OF PRESENTA'l'ION. store 9s. 7d. per case, a difference in the f.o.b. cost of approximatBly 80 per cent. Mr. NICKLIN (Murrumba): Mr. Speaker, and in the landed into store cost of would you inform hon. members whether the approximarely 88 per cent.~'' Auditor-General has advised you whBn his 1·eport will be presented to this House~ Hon. E. M. HANLON (Ithaca) replied- Mr. SPEAKER: In reply to the Leader " The prices of all commodities are con of the Opposition I dooire to say that the trolled, under the National Security Auditor-General, Mr. J. D. Ross, intimated (Prices) Regulations, by the Commonwealth to me that his report will he presented Prices Commissioner. Consequently I am tomorrow. unable to inform the hon. member 'of the circumstances which influenced the Price SUPPLY. Fixing authorities in determining prices for macaroni manufactured in Innisfail. I will RESUMPTION OF CoMMITTEE-ESTIMA'I'ES submit his question to the Commonwealth THIRD AND FOURTH ALLOT'I'ED DAYS. authorities." · (The Chairman of Committoos, Mr. Manu, Brisbane, in the chair.) USE OF PARLIAMENT HOUSE. .M:R. SPEAKER'S RULJNG. ESTIMATES-IN-CHIEF, 1945-1946 ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HOME AFFAIRS Mr. WAN STALL (Toowong) proceeding to give notice of a question directed to the CHIEF OFFICE. Acting Premier concerning the holding of a Hon. T. A. FOLEY (Normanby-Secre meeting of the Queensla·nd Central Execu tary for Health and Home Affairs) (11.8 tive of the Labour Party at Parliament a.m): I move-- House-- '' That £196,902 be granted for 'Depart M!'. SPEAKER: Order! As the hon. ment of Health and Home Affaii·s-Chief member should know, the control of Parlia Office.' '' ment House is under the direction of Mr. Hon. members will notice that there is an Speaker. increase of £10,041 over the amonnt expended 1945--2!. Supply. [ASSEMBLY.] Supply. for the year 1944·45. The amount of appro· minor tasks have been performed and reports priation is really a decrease of £67,590 on submitted to the employers and unions con the appropriation made for 1944-45. A cerned, allaying many fears on the part of considerable saving in the amount expended employees that the work they were doing compared with the appropriation for 1944-45 was responsible for certain industrial diseases. has been effected by the saving in- In some instances methods of preventing " (a) A.R.P. expenditure, £36,064; recurrence of the trouble ha've been pre scribed by this section, and in other instances '' (b) Queensland Radium Institute, £12,467; it was found that the work was not responsible for the trouble. "(c) Salaries, £10,295 (due to the absence of officers on war service).'' In the Laboratory of Microbiology and 'l'he increas0 in the amount required for Pathology provision is being· made for a 1945-1946 is due mainly to- third typist. In the Enthetic Diseases Sec tion the number of staff required is the same " ( 1) (a) The increased salaries conse as that of 1944-45. Although there )las been (tuent on the new awards, amounting to a certain falling off in the incidence of £17,315, (b) provision for payment of €nthetic diseases we still require the same salaries to officers not paid last year owing to their absence on war service, and staff to carry out the work because such cases require a good deal of attention and " (c) An increase of eight in staff pro medical care. The Government Analyst vided. r.equires one analyst, on€ cadet, and on€ '' 2. Granting of 10 additional State S€r• attendant in addition to those he had last vice Scholarships as from 1 J a'nuary 1945 year. and provision for another 10 scholarships as from 1 January 1946-£3,381. Here again some very fine work has been carried out by the staff, notwithstanding its '' 3. The additional amount required for depletion during th€ war period, in helping the Queensland Radium Institute is the military authorities by testing and £5,467. The total amounts to £26,163. analysing food for the troops as well as for ''Less reduction in amount required civilians. for- The Lock Hospital at Fantome Island was £. Air raid precautions costing us in the vicinity of £6,000 a year. 9,921 As a result of investigations made by our School health servic€s 4,035 Other decreases medical staff into the work done there and 2,166 the treatment of diseases with sulpha drugs and penicillin, the milder cases have been £16,122'' cleaned up and some of the cases that are Deducted from the other items I have men described by the medical men as granuloillit tioned it means an incr€ase of £10,041. The were transferred to P,.alm Island. The more total increases as far as Salaries, Chief Office acute cases have been transferred to the General Administration is concerned, are madt> Brisbane Lock Hospital where it is hoped up by the additional staff comprising three that they will be cleaned up in the course clerks, one clerk typist, and a chauffeur, three of several months. The result of all this of whom (one clerk, a typist, and a chauffeur) has been that we have closed the Lock were previously paid from contingencies. Hospital at Fantome Isl,and and we fee~ that Under the heading of "Salari€s, Medical,'' most of the current cases of venereal diseas'' an industrial-hygiene health offieer has been that occur amongst our aboriginals can be provided at a salary of £882. I might men treated by local men with penicillin. Other tion that Dr. Reye, a promising young doctor, cases can be confined on Palm Island, where was originally appointed to the industrial provision can be made for any isolation that hygiene staff and )las carried out some splen is n.ecessary. Vve ar€ pleased that we ha.ve did work during the few years he was there. been able to reduce the number of cases to He is being relieved to devote the wholf' of such an extent that it has been possible to his time and attention to the treatment of close the Lock Hospital on Fantome Island. lepers at the laza.rets on Peel and Fantome Provision has heen made in the schools Islands as well as to do research work in section for a dental inspector, a clerk-typist, leprosy, V€ry little of which is being carried a rail-clinic att€ndant, and one d€ntal out in the world today. This ha's necessitated mechanic. As Minister of this department putting someone in his place. Of course we I am constantly interviewed by both Opposi must have someone who is a specialist in tion and Government members. I know that this work. the shortage of medical or dental clinics in To date the work of the Industrial Hygiene various parts of the State has been great. Section has been V€ry interesting. Lear1 It has been almost impossible to overcome ]Joisoning in the shipbuilding trade had to the trouhle. We have done our best by be tackled, and where there was a possibility arranging for dentists in on€ centre to visit of industrial strife and trouble consequent other centres. W.e have. provided them with on negotiations between the parties concerned tyres, petrol and all other necessary tl·ans committees were set up with a view to improv port facilities in an effort to give some ing the position by eliminating fumes as service to those people who had no dental much as possible. The problem of silicosis attention whatsoe•v•er. As military rele.ases in foundries also is being tackled and intense are made we are endeavouring to bring our investigation is being done at present.