Please, no Black Shirts

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 422, 4 February 1992, Page 4

Please, no Black Shirts

I am sure there must be a lot of local viewers like myself, who were very horrified and saddened to sce the Saturday night TV news- re two law-abiding local people relating their story with the police. At this time and age where there is so much sadness and violcnce on TV the news did not show our police in a good light nor should their alleged actions be acceptable. As a child, I uscd to have horrible night mares after witnessing "Black Shirts" bashing down doors, windows and anyone who got in their way to gain entry to the houses of supposedly guilty parties. I pray that we in New

Zealand nevcr witncss the actions of "Black Shirts".

J.

Seaman

News Review

I was very disappointed while reading the Ruapehu Bulletin last week, to notice that you menlioncd that a Raetihi fireman had received a Gold Star during the year, but you neglected to mention that an Ohakune fireman (and one of your major advertisers) also receivcd a Gold Star last year. I also noticcd that you mentioned ihe Winter Games but you neglected to mention the Firemen's Ski Races, one of the biggest events on Turoa last year, which also sup-

ported the Bulletin with advertising. Yours unfaithfully Supporter of the Ohakune Fire Brigade Editor's note. Fair Comment: We agree vyholeheartedly that all our district's firemen and women deserve recognition for their efforts on behalf of our community.The omissions are regretted. To other readers: the news review was not intended to be comprehensive, but a quick selection of the types of things that happened in our area in 1991.

Ohakune Style

• As a great supporter of Ohakune and Raetihi, we laugh at that day the rubbish was picked up Taumarunui Style'.

Now we have 'Ohakune Style' - they're never late - but will forget you all together! If that's not enough, they will even forget to mow, all of the lawns around Ohakune and Raetihi! Today this is called a cost effective strategy, not laziness! Waimarino Supporter

Health ffuture

Many communitics throughout the country have had their hopes raised about the future of their local health scrviccs. The Govcrnmcnt continues to givc thc impression that small (and evcn some largcr) communitics will not bc ablc to retain their scrviccs but expand them

through community trusts. The details that are gradually emerging, however, indicate many people are going to be disappointcd. To begin with, there is going to be lcss moncy. available for health budgct is dccreasing (this year saw a drop of $226million) and funds for health scrviccs are bcing siphoncd off to pay for ihe high administration costs of the new policics. Furlher cutbacks are cxpectcd, therefore, with scrvices health scrviccs. The in small communitics being ihe primc targets. In this climate, community trusts might work, provided the community realiscs Govcrnmcnt involvement would bc minimal Sir Ron Trottcr, chairpcrson of ihe National Intcrim Providcr Board (NIPB), which was sct up to ovcrscc thc changcs, put it this way in a rcccnt Govcrnmcnt ncwslcttcr: "Whai thc govcrnmcnt cannot do, in my vicw, is undcrwritc thc trusts financially. It can start thcm off and cnsurc thcy arc sct up right, but if thcy run into trouble the Govcrnmcnt can't bail thcm out - thc Govcrnmcnt should not givc up control without handing all thc rcsponsibility ovcr as wcll." Anothcr rcport, prcparcd by health and finance consultants Coopcr & Lybrand gocs furlher: "It is clcar that, on financial grounds alonc, many small hospitals may not bc ablc to continuc offcring scrviccs as at prescnt. Community trusts bascd on small hospitals may nccd to share administrativc ovcrhcads if thcy arc to survivc. Othcrs may look to local bodies to provide subsidics to undcrwritc scrviccs. Thc impact of such costs on ratcs should not, howcvcr, bc undcr cstimaicd." (Ratcs wcrc last uscd to fund local hospitals in 1952.)

It might wcll bc that a community health clinic scrviccd by visiling spccialists, for cxamplc, would provide bcttcr scrviccs ovcrall to somc communitics. Thc qucstion .is: who pays for it? Thcrc arc many details that have yct to be cxplaincd about community trusts. As indecd is the case with the rcstructuring of the health scrvice gererally. Given that this restructuring is going to have a major impact on all our livcs, the public should bc afforded, at the very least, the right to participatc in in- ; formed debate on these changes. Thc Govcrnmcnt does not appear to be intercsted, however. Dr Alan Gray Joy Bickley Coalition for Public Health