Important Bills

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 191, 30 August 1937, Page 5

Important Bills

— Press Assoolation.)

WORK OF SESSION ♦ . ■ x Superannuation Scheme to be Universal HEALTH-INSURANCE

(By Telegraph-

CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. "The programme of legislation for. fhe coming session will not be so exi tensive as last year, but it will contain iseveral important Bills, ' ' said the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J* Savage, to-day. "The- Ministers have been busy outlining the provisions of measures affecting their Tespective xesponsibilities and d;he law draftsman has a fair amount of work in hand. "It is too early yet to giv« details, but it can be said that, apart from a number of departmental machinery measures, several of Jhe Bills will ba of an amending nature, giving effect to myj st&tements in the House last seseioa that, if any of the Government's initiali measures were found in operation toi have fallen short of their purpose or to have created anomalies, there would "be neither hesitation nor delay in making the necossary adjustments. The question of repealing any of our legislation or making, any vital alteration in principle has not arisen, "The Budget, the Estimates and Public Works Statement will dominlito the early part of the session, and thero should be no dearth of talking points for Government members as well as for the Opposition. The Minister of Finanea has something substantial to. show M o result of the Government's policy of rebuilding New Zealand 'a social- strue-; ture, which was so badly fractured by the measures of our predecessors, tho Coalition Government, , "Later jn the. session, probably during the second part after the mid-. summer recess, the most important legislation in the Government's immediate programme will be introduced. Thil will give effect to a comprehensiva scheme of national health iusurance and uatioiial superannuation. "It is our aim to give far-reaching effect to the national superannuation plan, so that it will be. possible for every "man and woman to spend their old-age in a reasonable standard of comx fort. After all, if the actual and' potential wealth of New Zealand cannot. support that level of security for the aged,! then all commentators should stop talkij ing about the country 's resources. It is intended that the scheme shall be uui-> yersal in operation. A special couunit* tee has been collectiug data and prepar--ing a report during my ab3ence, and that information is being considered by Cabinet. "As for the establishment of a| sound system of national health iosur-! ance, our scheme is by no means a rashf experiment. Health insurance has beenj so well established in other; coiintriefj fhat the scheme should have been inj operation in New Zealand long ago and! would have if there had not been someJ .thing wrong with the previous Govern,-^ ments. I noticcd recently that an edis forial writer, in a difficult effort to cow demn the Government's proposal, misi ;used the old metaphor that, instead ofj 'providing an ambulance at the bottOm! iof the cliff, the State should traild a 'fence at the top of the welL ".The trouble is that So many people have already fallen over the cliff. The ambulance is more than fully occupied^ We have to maintain, not only an ambu^ lance, but as soon as possible erect A good, substantial fence. This •country is far behind in respect of health insrui^ ance. Already no fewer than 23 countriee have compulsory health insurance! # schemes in successful operation. Thesej include Great Britain, th© Irish Fred State, France, Germany, Russia aadl Japan. Voluntary schemes operat© ini seven countries, and! in addition social! insurance schemes are propose'd for 14) other countries, including Anstralia/ Canada, South Afriea and India. Notj since the movement began has the1 scheme been abandoned anywhere, and| wherever there has been an alterationj it has been to expand the benefits .of! the scheme. Hitherto New Zealand has turned its back on the march of progress in re* spect to national health insurance. The present Government is determiued at least to step into line. Further, wai mean to take full advantage of the experience of other countries and avoid ' defeets that are being put 'right elsewhere. A practical scheme for Newl :Zealand is at last in sight."