STILL SHUFFLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24292, 5 June 1942, Page 2

STILL SHUFFLING

The Prime Minister's reply to the City Council's representations concerning the heavy increase in the hospital levy is completely unsatisfactory. Air. Frascr puts forward the war emergency as an excuse for postponing decision on the incidence of the levy, which has been aggravated by the Government's social security scheme. In fact the Government has followed an extravagant policy, incurred debts, and now pleads the war emergency for not paying them in full. A strange state of affairs would be produced if everyone followed this official lead. And in any case, the war emergency was not allowed to postpone the introduction of medical benefits, although the doctors were already over-worked owing to war's demands. The Prime Minister should be above the too common stratagem of taking shelter behind the war. On the question of reimbursing hospital boards for the extra costs incurred in treating servicemen, Mr. Fraser again postpones decision by promising consideration. Surely there should be no need for further considering an issue that is crystal clear. The care of sailors, soldiers

and airmen who are wounded or fall sick is a national responsibility. The whole charge should be borne by the Government out of the War Expenses Account. People find it strange that the Government should continue to evade its full responsibility by putting some of the charges on to social security and a large proportion on to local ratepayers through the hospital board. When it conies to war casualties, this sort of shuffling becomes discreditable. There is the further fact that extra military charges fall unevenly on hospital districts, because more servicemen are stationed in some districts than in others. Both equity and right demand that the Government accept the full responsibility and meet all the charges of treating military patients.