SOCIAL SECURITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 February 1943, Page 3

SOCIAL SECURITY

THE NEW ZEALAND SCHEME REVIEWED BY MR FRASER. BENEFITS RECEIVED BY 260,000 PEOPLE. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.)' CHRISTCHURCH, February 2. “Social security is one of the tangible things which characterise New Zealand democracy. It is also the mainstay of comfort in the lives of many thousands of people in this country,” said the Prime Minister, Mr Fraser, tonight. “Two hundred and sixty thousand people are receiving benefits under the Social Security Act which the Labour Government established as a vital means of solving the former evils of poverty and unemployment.” Sir William Beveridge, when commenting on the proposed British scheme of social security, said he thought it was interesting that the people of the United Kingdom should have the same kind of views and sentimentality toward insurance as New Zealand. “That, I think, is one of the greatest compliments which has been paid to the country for a very long time,” said Mr Fraser. “Here is the kind of ‘sentimentality’ which makes the. New Zealand plan of social security worthy of emulation in Great Britain, Canada and Australia. The number of different benefits in operation are: Age, 99,553; universal superannuation (eventually to be £7B a year with no means test), 43,184; widows’, 10,738; invalids’, 11,900; miners’, 855; unemployment, 734; sickness, 67,863; orphans’, the only pension of its kind in the world, 398; emergency benefits, 726; family allowance, 15,778; free hospital treatment, 8700; free medicine, 3,500,000 prescriptions yearly.” The Prime Minister also said that approximately 3,500,000 prescriptions were dispensed by 553 chemists out of the 558 in New Zealand at the cost of the Social Security Fund. Massage benefits were introduced last September and already almost all masseurs had contracted to provide them. Based on the results for nine months, it was estimated that payments under the medical benefits for the financial year would be £995,000. General medical attendances had numbered 1,800,000 and about half of the general medical service claims were by patients and half by doctors. The general service was expected to cost £793,000 and capitation payments would probably reach £75,000. Service given under special arrangements was estimated at £5300 and mileage at £74,000.