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Decentralisation Urgent

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON,

June 3.

The Government was criticised today for failing to stop the population drift to the three main centres— Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch—and it was urged to adopt a policy of decentralisation.

whole of the effect of his statement that he would continue to pacify them?” Mr Walsh asked.

The only way to make the Waitaki Valley floor area fertile was irrigation, said Mr A D. Dick (Govt., Waitaki) 1 . The area had recently been declared a disaster area for the second time, but this could be avoided by irrigation. Mr N. J. King (Opp., Waitemata) urged co-ordination of all aspects of the health services to reduce administration works.

Mr W. W. Freer (Opp., Mt. Albert) told Parliament that the areas of New Zealand which needed assistance under a decentralisation scheme included the Far North, the King Country, the Wairarapa, the West Coast, Dunedin, Southland and the Gisborne east coast. A Labour Government would appoint a committee to recommend the type of assistance existing industries would need in decentralised areas and new industries which could be started in those areas, he said. New Zealand’s commitment in South Vietnam was not discussed at any length today in the resumed Address-m-Reply debate, but Mr G. A. Walsh (Govt., Tauranga) attacked the speech of the

He commended the inclusion in annual reports of hospital waiting-list tables, a move to be started this year. Mr King said Labour would increase payments to doctors to reduce the cost of medical services to the patient. Specialist benefits would be introduced.

Mrs R. M. Stevenson (Govt., Taupo) suggested a “chain reaction” to improve the situation in psychiatric hospitals. Steps should be taken to ensure no more private general hospitals closed because of lack of finance. This, in turn, would relieve the situation in

public hospitals. General hospitals could then take some of the psychia-

deputy-Leader of the Opposi- trie patients—those who did tion (Mr Watt) last night. not have to be in psychiatric “Is he prepared to oppose hospitals. communism at all? Is not the Mrs Stevenson made a plea

to organisations to take more interest in patients of psychiatric hospitals. It was a pity there was not

some way of encouraging treatment for the mentally ill person whose condition would become worse, but who could or would not not submit to voluntary treatment, she said. This should be done for the good of the person involved and the community. Mrs Stevenson expressed concern at the penalties for drunken driving. Such drivers should be punished, but it was

often the wife who suffered. A man lost his licence and his wife was forced to drive him to work. Mr C. J. Moyle (Opp., Manukau) said the House “was used to the Prime Minister’s fairy tales.” “My figures are taken from statistics, not estimates as the

Prime Minister is wont to do,” he said when he detailed a long list of statistics relating to agricultural, production during Labour and National administrations. “The Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) and the Prime Minister are claiming

the increases in stock numbers as their personal success story.”

In fact, he said,' it was the Labour Government, before 1960, which laid the foundation for present stock numbers.

Mr Moyle said there was a lot of discontent among farmers with Mr Taiboys handling of his portfolio.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19660604.2.37

Bibliographic details

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 3

Word Count
558

Decentralisation Urgent Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 3

Decentralisation Urgent Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31077, 4 June 1966, Page 3