UNDER FIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 189, 12 August 1938, Page 9

UNDER FIRE.

CRITICAL VIEW.

GOVERNMENT'S PLANS. OPPOSITION ATTITUDE. MINORITY REPORT TO HOUSE. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON*, this day. The views of the three Opposition member* on the Parliamentary Committee which considered the Government's superannuation and health schemes were expressed by Mr. S. G. Holland (Christchnrch North) when speaking in the House of Representatives last evening on a motion that the report be referred to the Government for consideration. He pointed out that the Standing Orders of the House did not allow him and hie colleagues to submit a minority report, and he would take the opportunity of saying what would have been saiu in the minority report bad that been permissible.

The recommendations of the Opposition members of the committee, as outlined by Mr. Holland, envisaged a complete health service without cost to those people unable to pay for it, and a universal compulsory superannuation scheme based on the principle that every direct contributor to the fund should be entitled to benefit without any qualification, State employees and others iu private superannuation schemes to be exempt from compulsion to pay into the State scheme.

Mr. Holland said the recommendations of the Opposition members were:—

"It is essential to a proper consideration of the Government's proposals that it should be clearly established that the income necessary to support the expenditure proposed is well within the taxable capacity of the people, and that the national income will in future years rise sufficiently to support the steadily increasing costs.

"As no 6uch evidence has been given before the committee we do not consider it wise to embark on these costly schemes in the absence of such necessarv information.

Need of Free Medical Service. "In view of the evidence presented we have come to the conclusion that a portion of the population hare 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 arc 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 recommend for these people a complete health service without charge, including 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 110 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.

"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 of the health of the nation or the investigation into the ctuaet of disease—especially those complaints in which the incidence is much too high in New Zealand.

Education in Healthy Living. 1 "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 bpinion 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 the nutrition of the people and an education campaign in the direction of more healthy living; the co-ordination of all voluntary organisations and State activities having for their objective the improved health of the people, the best means of attacking the needlessly high incidence of common conditions, as for example, dental decay and goitre, thereby raising tlie general standard of physical fitness of the nation's youth population.

"With regard to the national health service," the Opposition members continue, "the Government's proposals claim to provide for free general practitioner service, free hospital treatment, free mental hospital treatment, free medicines and free maternity treatment. No services that involve the taxing of those receiving the benefits or services to the extent of £3.000.000, or £2 per head of population per annum can be called free services.

"At this stage in our comments on the health division of the scheme we wish to record the fact that the Government has steadfastly declined to lav before the committee the working details of its proposals. Finance Proposals Lacking. "We hold that it is imperative to know how it is proposed to raise the necessary funds before a conclusion can be reached as to the practicability of the proposals and we disagree with the Government's contention that the matter of how tiie money is to be raised is one solely for the Government. "The work of the committee has. In our opinion, been seriously hampered by the refusal of a majority of the committee, including all Government member* present, to call witnesses whom we have requested should be called and who would have been able to give most valuable evidence on the Government's proposals. These include the head of the Department of Labour and the head of the Treasury. "The Xew Zealand branch of the British Medical Association has clearly indicated that it cannot promise it» willing support and co-operation in

carrying out the scheme, and consifler that no scheme can succeed under audi circumstances. "There is *no provision for relieving ratepayers in either town or conntry ©f the present burden of hospital rates. Coat* of Joint Schema. "The estimated cost of the Government's joint scheme is £17,000,000 for the first year, which, with the estimated cost of administration. £850.000. added, ™ivps a total cost for the first year of £17,850.000. The estimated cost 'after five vears is £20.400,000. after 10 year* £21,900,000, and 30 years £25.000,000. "If wages in the future are to bear the same share, 42 per cent, of tho total cost of the scheme as in the first year, £7,500,000, out of a total cost of £17,850,000. and presuming that the proposed tax of 1/ in the £ is to be levied on the same basis; as at present, then we will require an 'aggregate private income' of £216,000,000 10 years hence to finance tne scheme. '"There is no justification for assuming that our income will increase from its present record level of approximately £150,000,000 to £216,000,000 in the next 10 vears."