Perfect sets of teeth in adults are rare, as everybody is aware, but such rarity as these figure indicate certainly surpasses expectation.
A point to be borne in mind in relation to the heavy demand for the services of members of the Dental Corps at the training camps is one to which Lieutenant-colonel Hunter, Director of Dental Services, draws attention - namely, that the men whose teeth is the subject of the report from which we have quoted have all been passed as physically fit, and that they represent in fact picked men of the country.
If such be the state of the teeth of the fit men, what, it may well be asked, must be the state of the teeth of the rest of the men in the dominion?
The inference is obvious, of course, that if the teeth of the physically fit leave generally so much to be desired, those of the physically unfit are likely to be a good deal worse.
No conclusion as to the extent of dental neglect prevalent among the unfit can be other than disquieting.
The Director of Dental Services expresses the belief that the work which is being done to improve the teeth of the military recruits can be regarded as a very important educational factor from a dental point of view.
•Vigorous measures are being taken for the enforcement of clause 35 of the Military Service Act, popularly known as the ''family shirkers' clause'', providing that if the Minister of Defence is satisfied with respect to any family that it consists of or includes two or more brothers who belong to the First Division of the Reserve, and are not permanently unfit for military service, he may give notice to all or any of these brothers to show cause before the Military Service Board why they should not be called up for service with the Expeditionary force.
Notices have been sent out by Defence Headquarters since the end of last week for delivery throughout the whole of the dominion, concerning 1500 men who are believed to be definitely evading their duty.
The notices affect some 600 families. In addition, the authorities, through the medium of the police, are making inquiries concerning another 1000 men who are believed to come under clause 35, and these will be served with notices in due course.
The notices, in each case, have been forwarded to the police for personal service, so that there will be no question of their going astray or of being delivered to the wrong person.
The men concerned are notified that they have the right of appeal to the Military Service Board ...
•Last year the New South Wales Government took action with respect to two schools in the State conducted by Germans, exclusively for German children, when it was decided to insist upon the work of these schools being conducted entirely in the English language and at all times open to inspection by officers of the Education Department.
At the instance of the Prime Minister of Victoria, Mr Holman is now in communication with the Prime Ministers of the other States respecting the advisability of introducing uniform legislation to provide for the English language being the medium of instruction in all schools. The Victorian Parliament recently passed an Act on these lines.
•The practice indulged in by boys in various parts of the dominion of smashing the insulators on the telegraph poles by throwing stones and other missiles at them is to be put down with a firm hand.
The cost of replacing the broken insulators is said to be some hundreds of pounds per annum. In Auckland two boys who had wilfully smashed five insulators, valued at 15s, were each fined 2, and costs, and also ordered to pay for the damage done.
•At the meeting of the Kaiapoi Borough Council Councillor H. Revell referred to several cases where residents of the district had received cablegrams purporting to come from wounded soldiers asking for monetary assistance.
In one case money had been sent, but it had not been received by the soldier. In other cases money had not been sent owing to the postmaster warning senders that the applications might not be genuine.
The council decided to bring the matter under the notice of the Government.
- ODT, 27.10.1916.
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