SOCIAL SECURITY PROMISES

Chronicle (Levin), 5 November 1946, Page 3

SOCIAL SECURITY PROMISES

-Press Association

' By Telegrayh-

AUCKLAND, Nov. 4. I Furtlxcr details of Goverxxnxeixt plans j for the provisioii, uiider tlie Social I JSeeurity sclieme, of heariug aids uxid appliances for cripples aiid dental care ' l'or adolcscexits, were given by the Miii- ) ister of Finance, Hon. W. Nasli, iu an I address to employees of Ihe Arnalgamated Brick aud Pipe Oompany, Ltd. lie said it was hoped to have the heariug aids juade in Auckland by a eoinpany whicli he thought was a Britisli one, operating iu the city. "We pian to go on with the service ! and 1 have reguiations in connection with dental treatnient," Mr. Nasli said after discussing school dental clinics. He' said it was planned in the xiext two years to bring in ou top of the children j already being treated, auother 100,000 i adoleaccnts. "They will get i'ull deuj tal tfeatnient and we will have to slarl ; uegotiations with the dexitisls," the ! Minister added. i 1 'We are removing another of tlic | charges that come on the people who ! sufl'er. "We are also doing soxxxe woxk ' in connection with crippled children j aud deliciencies in oldcr people. Bome i time between now and the end of Marelx j we will be providing eitlxer spccial boots or the diiTcreixce between special 1 boots and ordxnary ones. Mr. Nord- ; meyer plans to provide the dill'ercxieo between ordiixary and speeial footwear . that will apply to all instrumcnts and j mechanical deviees that are required. ! The major one, of course, is hearing ! aids," Mr. Nasli continued. "I lcnow { wliat some of the makora of liearing I aids charge. I paid £35 for xny sister j to get one." The Minister said the Covernment J planned to make an arrangement so j that either the whole price of a hear-

ing aid or something tovvard it, would be made available so that cveryoxie re(juiring an aid 'Could get it. In Britaiu tlxere were Goverxxnxexxt pltnxis for aids to bc xnade and he had becix iutcrcstcd in importixxg some for the people in Nevv Zeahuid biit had learncd that they could be made better and cheaper in the Doiuinion. Tlie aiinounceiixent he made in the Ilotxse on the subject had almost bankrupted the xnaixufacturer of aids, Mr. N'ash said, beeause the people had seerx a clxance of getting clieaper applianecs. The Governxnent intendcd, Iiowever, to make an arrangement wheroby tlxis manufaeturer would not, as he had thought, be making fewer aids but many xnore, nnless he wanted to charge too much. "All the Minister of Finance lias to do is to iind the money," he added ainid lauglxter.