NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 147, 18 March 1937, Page 12

NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Possible Effect Upon Friendly Societies

OPINION OF LEADER OF DRUIDS

A declaration that; a national health insurance scheme might mean the amalgamation of some friendly societies and possibly the extinction of the less strong, was made by Bro. W. J. Gregory, grand president of the North Island aud the West Coast Grand Lodges of the United Ancient Order of Druids, at a welcome social to delegates to the annual conference of Druids given by Wellington lodges in Wellington last night. He said he had uo fear for the welfare of the individual under the scheme, or, for that matter, of the stronger friendly societies. The present conference showed that the society was progressing, he said. It was incurring an increasingly 1 rge sick-pay bill, but that was not anything to be alarmed about. It was really wh'at the society existed for. The future, however, was one for serious thought The Government was going to introduce a national health scheme, and that might have a big effect on friendly societies. He did not know just what was going to happen, but he was not fearful of the outcome of any such scheme.

At the outset of the proposal he saw one of the responsible Ministers. The Minister said that the object of the legislators was to safeguard and improve the health of the people, by preventive as well as curative measures, as well as by educational steps to teach people the ways of health. The Government also desired to go further and to safeguard the financial future of the populace. It was thought that the root cause of many of the evils which beset the human race was lack of facilities to buy the necessities of life, or fear of the future. The worker feared that he might lose his job, the business man that his business might fail, and the rich man that he might lose his money. The Government evidently desired to remove the cause of that fear of the future by providing for the old age or the sickness of the individual.

Everybody knew that something of the kind had to come, with modern thought tending in the direction it was. aud for that reason friendly societies were willing to co-operate in anything worth while. If a scheme worth while was designed and enforced, there was no doubt it would overlap some of the work of the friendly societies. He had no fear of the consequences of such a scheme for the individual, though it was quite likely that it would have a most drastic effect on many friendly societies. It might mean the amalgamation of societies or the extinction of some. Those on a firm basis, however, had nothing to fear.

Bro. Gregory proposed the toast of Parliament. He said legislators had to be credited with sincerity in their efforts to safeguard the future of the country and improve the welfare of the people.