OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 May 1939, Page 4

OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS

PEDESTRIAN CROSSINGS (To the Editor.) Sir, —I see by today’s issue of the “Times-Age” that Mr R. Russell is still battling for our pedestrian crossings and there are more of the public behind him than the opposing councillors think. I hope Mr Russell does not have to battle another 3 years for such a motion to be carried. The next council election will teach the present councillors that quiet waters run deep. These crossings are not only a matter of safety of life, but a square deal to old people who have to stand, for minute after minute, waiting 'for the line of cars to pass before they can make their way in safety across the road. Many of these elderly people have helped to make Masterton and deserve a little consideration in this matter.

The young mother with her pram and toddlers also demand safety and a margin of time to own the road; don’t forget the mothers of young children are legitimate shoppers, spending money in more than one shop and are fullfilling New Zealand’s demand for population, so why should the motorist have the main street as his own property? More than once have I had to wait several minutes before I could cross the road with my family and I never saw any motorist stop and wave me across the road, before he or she went by. I drive a car and can see both angles of the question. We need pedestrian crossings and what is more, we are going to get them. —Yours, etc., RETURN OF PRAM PUSHER. Masterton, May 24.

LADIES’ REST ROOM (To the Editor.) Sir,—On behalf of the Masterton Women’s branch of the Labour Party, I wish to express our appreciation of the action of the Borough Council in establishing that long-desired necessity for the women of Masterton —a Ladies’ Rest Room. Having pressed the necessity for this on his Worship the Mayor and having supported the project in other ways, we feel we have had some small part in bringing this about, and we wish now to congratulate the Mayor and council on the result. The rooms are very comfortably furnished and should provide a very pleasant interlude in a busy shopping day. We feel certain that as it becomes better known appreciation of it will grow, especially on the part of the country women. Yours, etc, DORIS ROBERTSON. Masterton, May 24.

DOCTORS & SOCIAL SECURITY (To the Editor.) Sir,—As a recent arrival in this country I have been very interested in the discussion between the Government and the over the temporary impasse in relation to medical benefits under the Social Security legislation. It is indeed unfortunate that such legislation should be made a party political chopping block, as evidenced in only one instance in the reports of speeches at the Farmers’ Union discussion appearing in your issue today. Internal social security cannot by any stretch of the imagination be labelled honestly as party political, any more than defence and international security can. Governments of the opposite party flavour to that in the Dominion have introduced .such legislation and have met with the same obstructive opposition that this Government has. A very brief study of the daily Press of Great Britain printed about the time of the introduction of National Insurance there will bear this out. Again a study of the painful negotiations between the Federal Government of Australia and the B.M.A. and the resultant postponement of the Australian National Insurance Act.

Although the Australian Act was passed by both Houses of Parliament, there is ample evidence to show that the B.M.A. and the insurance companies entered . the party political field and have successfully up to date prevented the implementing of the Act. One 'is very surprised that the B.M.A.’s attitude to the formation of friendly societies has not shown them the uselessness of obstructing progress. They refused in the first place to accept such societies and when they very ungraciously did, they attempted to destroy the same by not giving equal service to that given to the private patiept. Fortunately the collective strength of friendly societies’ influence and the support of the less independent members of the B.M.A. has overcome this to a great extent and we have many doctors who wholeheartedly co-operate with friendly societies toward giving a more comprehensive medical service.

Members of the medical fraternity

of Great Britain, although as already stated, they wefe originally the most hostile opponents of National Insurance, have become in the main most helpful participants in such. If the B.M.A. here can read the writing on the wall they will do the same. There has not yet been any valid reason advanced as to why the medical fraternity should be the only class of servants of the community who should not submit to the will of the majority, as represented by the Government of the country, whether-it be Labour, Nationalist, Liberal or piebald. My wages, the farmer’s wages and income and so on, are limited by the law of the cbuntry and we are as important in our contribution to society as the doctor.

An ex-president of the B.M.A. in Adelaide, South Australia, stated in a newspaper there, when writing on the improvement of medical services, one of the greatest needs was a fair fees tribunal. Comparing charges made to friendly societies there with those here for medical services, if the fees should be adjusted there then such action is greatly overdue here.

Medical services and with them the health of the public, are the most important aspects of the economy of the whole world and yet the arrogant independence of the medical fraternity or the B.M.A. Council would prevent the representative Government of the country from improving the facility of the subject to gain medical attention and thereby regain health. —Yours, etc.,

DONALD McKIRDY (Ex-member of the board of directors of the Australian Natives (South Australia) Association and member of the provisional management committee of the A.N.A. Approved Society under Australian National Health and Pensions Act (South Australia.) Masterton, May 23.