HEALTH SCHEME IN AUSTRALIA

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26120, 24 May 1950, Page 7

HEALTH SCHEME IN AUSTRALIA

“COLOSSAL WASTE” TO BE AVOIDED MINISTER QUOTES COST OF N.Z. SERVICE (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 12.30 a.m.) BRISBANE. May 23. The Commonwealth Government hoped to prevent colossal waste in the proposed national health scheme, said tile Federal Minister of Health (Sir Earle Page) at the British Commonwealth medical conlerence in Brisbane to-day. The Government would do this by making the cost to the Commonwealth less than the total premiums paid by insured contributors. Warning against waste under a nationalised health system. Sir Earle Page said the cost of the British scheme had risen from £167,000.000 sterling in 194 G to nearly £500,000,000 this year. The cost of the New Zealand scheme had trebled trum £2,433.588 in 1941-42, to £7,843.634 in 1948-49. Sir Earle Page emphasised that, while the basis of his proposal was that the scheme should be based on voluntary contributions, subsidised by the Commonwealth, special provisions were made for those unable to pay. Features of the first stage of the scheme were: an improvement of nutrition by the provision of milk each day to all children under the age of 12; the prevention of disease by a national educational campaign: and lhe free provision, on doctors’ prescriptions, of costly life-saving and diseasepreventing drugs for certain chronic illnesses.

STATE POLLS IN N.S.W.

FIRST POLICY SPEECH OF CAMPAIGN (Rec. 7 p.m.) SYDNEY. May 23. The Leader of the State Country Party (Mr M. F. Eruxner) opened the New South Wales election campaign last night when he delivered his policy soeech at Inverell. He proposes to hold a referendum among lhe people of Northern New South Wales to ask them whether thev would be willing to accept the responsibility for handling their own government as a new State. Other proposals are to bar Communists from State Government employment. and to remove any possibility of sabotage by Communists in essential services. It is expected that the election camp. ism will be a very brief one. elections will be held on June 17.

AUSTRALIAN WHEAT PRICES

CEYLON AND INDIA SEEK REDUCTION • Rec. 9 p.m.) CANBERRA. May 23. Separate requests for a reduction in Australian wheat prices were made to the Commonwealth Government today by representatives of India and Ceylon. The Ceylonese and Indian delegates interviewed the Minister of Commerce (Mr J. McEwen) in the presence of the chairman of the Australian V> heat Board (Mr F. H. Cuilen). Mr McEwen said he could not commit Australia to any agreement for a price reduction, but that the representations would receive full consideration.