PENSIONS & HEALTH
(Continued from page 5.) HOSPITAL FINANCE. Another Opposition argument, said Mr Savage, was that under the legislation the private hospitals would be unable to continue. Patients in private hospitals would be treated just the same as patients in public hospitals, with the State making the same contribution from the social security fund. The Government’s job was to encourage the private hospitals to keep going, not to close them down. As for the question of hospital rates, hospital boards would receive something like 6s a day for each occupied bed, instead of the present average of about 2s Bd. Surely that additional money would not put the ratepayer in a worse position. It had been stated that sickness could not be treated on a mass regimentation basis. It was treated that way now in all public hospitals. Only .by mass action was it possible to get the best results. “They say that we are making provision for a lot of new tax-payers,” Mr Savage continued. “These people will be doing more than pay taxes. They will be getting some benefit out of it all the time. Everyone who contributes will benefit from the health services. There is no insurance company on earth which can give boys and girls the security which is provided for them in this Bill. If anyone can produce anything better we would like to see it. We would want to use it.” The Opposition was harping on the question of finance, said the Prime Minister. He could understand people who came forward and suggested that something should be done by other means —by the use of the public credit, for instance. With the scheme now before the House the Opposition would not use the public credit and it objected to the money being found from taxation. “We cannot get security without paying for it,” said Mr Savage. “One way is to issue the necessary money and the other is to tax the people. We might do some of each, but the fact remains that we have got to pay. I would like to know how the Opposition is going to find the money for its own scheme —if it can be called a scheme.”
THE COMMITTEE INQUIRY. Mr Savage was discussing the investigations carried out by the National Health and Superannuation Committee when Mr S. G. Holland (Opposition, Christchurch North), interjected that important witnesses had not been available. “We did not want the head of the Treasury to tell us what our policy should be,”' said the Prime Minister. “I. said the Government’s proposals were going on the Statute Book, because I wanted the committee to operate, not to hold up proceedings.” Mr Holland: “There was none of that.” “It was done all- along the line,” said Mr Savage. “The Opposition members did nothing. They did not make a single constructive suggestion; they did not give a hand in shaping the report, but they came along a few' days ago with some sort of minority report of their own.” Mr ' Holland: “It was constructive criticism.”
Mr Savage: “It was nothing of the sort. It was an attempt to show that the Government’s proposals would not work.” ■ ;/ - PROPOSALS IN BRITAIN. Reference, to the attitude of the British Medical Association-towarcj an extension of health insurance was made by the Prime Minister, who said that the issue of the “Spectator” on June 10 had contained a statement by the association regarding' proposals for a general medical service for'the whole of the United Kingdom. The aim.was the achievement of positive health and the prevention of disease by the provision for every individual of the services of a general practitioner of his own choice. Consulting, specialist, laboratory and auxiliary services were to be available through the agency of the family doctor, and all services were to be co-ordinated and developed under a long-term national health policy. “We can’t be so very far wrong after all,” Mr Savage added. “These are the proposals of the parent body of the local branch which is opposing our scheme today.”
PROMISED BENEFITS. The Leader of the Opposition had talked of a* man having to wait until his 102nd birthday to obtain full superannuation under the Bill, said Mr Savage. The man of 35 today would get £7B a year when he was 65, and he would get it for the rest of his days That was only jiart of the story, as he would receive benefits all the time. For a man of 35 to purchase an annuity of £156 at the age of 75, the cost would £47 4s a year. Under the Government’s scheme that man, earning £250 a year, would have to pay only £l2 10s. “I stand or fall by the Government’s proposals,” said the Prime Minister. ‘Our policy, as expressed in this Bill, is to help the man and woman who are in need.” Mr Hamilton: “That’s not in the Bill. You are helping the people who don’t need it.” Mr Savage: “Oh, I am helping the rich and you are helping the proletariat.” “I do not say the scheme is perfect,” Mr Savage continued. “It would be the first sign of mental decay if I did. I do not think that 30s a week superannuation is enough, especially when there is enough of the best for all of us. “It is the inalienable right of every person to be secured against distress in any form. It is no use talking about national wealth unless we can use it for national purposes. Money can only come from IJfew Zealand’s productive sources, and all we want to do is to give to the people what they are capable of producing. The money system, or those operating the money system, will not be allowed to stand in the way.”
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAITA19380819.2.23
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 August 1938, Page 3
Word count
Tapeke kupu
968PENSIONS & HEALTH Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 August 1938, Page 3
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Wairarapa Times-Age. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.