SOCIAL WELFARE

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 38188, 30 March 1973, Page 10

SOCIAL WELFARE

Govt seeks *new era' "We want New Zealand to have a new era in social welfare; this is what we want to achieve,’’ the Minister of Social Welfare (Mr King)! said in Christchurch last, evening. Addressing a meeting arranged by the Christchurch City Council and dealing with pre-school welfare set-; vices, Mr King said that the' Government was completely, revising the Child Welfare! Act. The new act would not! be passed this year because! the Government wanted; people to give evidence be-, fore it was changed. The Government had also: just completed a demographic! survey of unmarried mothers! and a publication would be) published later this year. Al follow-up study of child: abuse had been made and a) report would be published as I a sequel to a report published earlier this year, said Mr! King. Mr King distinguished; child-care centres from pre-! school education, and said; that no government in the past had given financial support for child-minding services. "We are concerned about] the care of the child, and we; are going to do something! about it. But that is for an-] other announcement,” he said. Unwanted catch.—A Nelson fishing boat, the Rangi, had to drag its trawl home on Wednesday evening because it was too heavy to raise. It had become entangled with a large reinforced and water-filled rubber buoy. The Rangi was several miles at sea when the object was encountered. — (P.A.)