SOCIAL SECURITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 August 1938, Page 5

SOCIAL SECURITY

GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSALS CRITICISED REPORT BY COMMITTEE MINORITY. SUGGESTED MODIFICATIONS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. The attitude toward the Government’s social security proposals of the three Opposition members of Parliament who were members of the special Parliamentary committee which examined those proposals is expressed in a report which was issued by them yesterday. The report is signed by Mr S. G. Holland (Christchurch North), the Hon J. G. Cobbe (Oroua) and Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton). The opinions of the Opposition mempers on the various aspects of the Government’s proposals are summarised in the following recommendations:— As it is essential to a proper consideration of the Government’s proposals that it should be clearly established (a) That the income necessary to support the expenditure .proposed is well within the taxable capacity of the people; and (b) that the national income will, in future years, rise sufficiently to support the steadily increasing costs; and as ho such evidence has been given before the committee, we do not consider it wise to embark on these costly schemes in the absence of such necessary information. HEALTH SERVICES. In view of the evidence presented, we have come to the conclusion that a portion of the population have not at present available to them an adequate medical service, nor are they able to make provision for such service. Among these are the aged and the infirm, who are in most need of medical care. In addition, there is a further section of the community which, while able to meet the expense of minor sickness, is unable to pay for the expense of serious illness involving hospital treatment, operations, or specialist and consultant services. We therefore commend for these people: A complete health service without charge, such service to include. the following services:—General practitioner, surgical (operations), home nursing, pharmaceutical (medicines and appliances), consultant. and specialist, laboratory and radiology, hospital and ambulance, maternity, physiotherapy and massage, dental, almoner service. . This would entail no dislocation of the present friendly society system, and it would not prevent the inauguration of voluntary group insurance schemes which have proved of considerable value in other countries, nor would it disorganise the medical profession.

MEASURER OF PREVENTION.

We are struck with the fact that there is a complete absence from the Government’s proposals of any provision for the prevention of disease, the improvement in the health of the nation, or the investigation into the cause of disease —especially those complaints in which the incidence is much too high in New Zealand. After provision has been made for a full health scheme to be made available to the people to whom we have already referred, it is our opinion that further extension of the health services of the community should be in the direction of preventing disease and removing its causes. Such a purpose could be served by the establishment of a competent advisory body to inform the Government on such matters as: —

(1) The nutrition of the people. (2) An education campaign in the direction of more healthy living. (3) The co-ordination of all voluntary organisations and State activities, having for their objective the improved health of the people. (4) The best means of attacking the needlessly high incidence of common conditions, as for example, dental decay and goitre, thereby raising the general standard of physical fitness of the nation’s youth population. SUPERANNUATION POLICY.

We strongly support the principle of superannuation, and recommend that a universal compulsory superannuation scheme be inaugurated, based on the following principles: — (1) That every person making direct contributions to the fund shall be entitled to benefit, without any “means test” or other qualification. (2) Those persons, such as State employees and others in private superannuation schemes, who have made provision, at least as adequate as provided in the State scheme, shall be exempt from any compulsion to subscribe to the State scheme.