Plea For Freedom In Social Services

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29336, 15 October 1960, Page 15

Plea For Freedom In Social Services

"The Press" Special Service

DUNEDIN, October 14. A, plea not to build up larger and larger services based on a central government, nor large national voluntary societies whose policies could be just as bureaucratic and inflexible, was made by Professor C. W. Dixon, professor of preventive and social medicine at the University of Otago. In his inaugural lecture, on the lay contribution to preventive medicine, Professor Dixon said that in the long run voluntary societies frequently had to seek aid from the taxpayer through State or local government. This was done although the right to be a voluntary society was championed with members deciding what should be done with the money. Eventually, the proportion from non-voluntary sources was so great that the custodians of this public money, in all fairness to those who had contributed compulsorily instead of voluntarily, felt the need to step in and to some extent direct how this money should be spent, or to alter the control of the services. Individualists A lot was heard about the rugged individualists in the community, particularly in the professions, and their fight against dictatorship from central government. “It so often appears to be freedom to please oneself when this is expedient, but a rapid transfer of responsibility to central government when a difficult or

unpleasant decision has to be made,” Professor Dixon said. "Hospitals would be sited in relation to the development of housing and the proviaion of transport to get patients and relatives to and from them," he said.

“The special needs of the aged could be integrated as far as housing and medical and social care is concerned.”

He said that instead of every town and district looking over its shoulder to see whether the next town had been given slightly more of the national cake, it was far better to give each large area a sizeable slice.

The people could then be left to decide for themselves whether they should spend it on education, hospital, preventive medical services, housing, welfare or other services.