ALTERNATIVE OR EVASION ?

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 88, 11 October 1932, Page 6

ALTERNATIVE OR EVASION ?

So far the Government pronouncements on the hospital and health recommendations of the National Expenditure Commission have been wholly negative. The Prime Minister said that the suggested reorganisation of the hospital system w"as "revolutionary in its effect and cannot be accepted without the most careful consideration." He spoke of economies in local government, including hospitals, as part of "a well-reasoned scheme of comprehensive reorganisation," but without the, least hint of such a scheme, or how or when it would be brought into operation. The Minister of Health was wholly critical. He conceded, with the vagueness which seems' to be common among the members who comment on the report, "that there was quite a lot in the report that was of great value." But his further references showed that he considered the recommendations on the Departments under his control of no value whatever. It was surprising <he said) to find business men lacking in appreciation of the importance of the work carried out in the interests of the health of tho community. The Minister .followed this up with certain personal references to the character of the business men who "apparently did not appreciate the work of the [Plunket] Society, and probably would not do so until trouble came into their ownhomes." It is amazing that a Minister of the Crown, should show so little discretion in his comments. .These personal references were quite improper, but the Minister went even further and was wholly unjust: • I am rather surprised to find (he said) that men ivKb can show such a grasp of purely monetary and material matters have no feelings on the human side. ■' '' *. ' v I 11 is most unjust that business men, invited to investigate the Government's affairs, and carrying out a distasteful duty honestly and courageously, should be so attacked by a Minister of the Crown. The charge of inhumanity rests only upon the Commission's recommendation that the Plunket Society's, services should not be available gratuitously to people who are well able to pay a fee, and that certain health institutions now under the direct control of the Health Department should be transferred to the hospital bpards. In view of the fact that gratuitous service, for rich and poor, was a cardinal point made by the founder of the Plunket system, we prefer to keep an open mind on the wisdom of now making a change; but we ,fail to see how a change, though it might be considered impolitic, could be termed inhuman. The recommendations concerning maternity hospitals are no more open to condemnation .on such grounds, though the Minister says it would be absolutely wrong to adopt them. For long the Health Department has been encouraging hospital; boards reestablish maternity wards, and the Commission proposes only that there should not be duplication in State St. Helens Hospitals and hospital maternity wards. Opinions may differ as to how quickly divided control should be ended, but-we cannot see justification for maintaining it indefinitely. ' - v Whatever may have caused the Minister to attack the Plunket and St.; Helens recommendations, however, the greater issues submitted in the hospital reorganisation plan of the Commission are not open to similar criticism. Not a word is said by the Minister concerning the adoption of these proposals. The issue they raise is riot of humanity or inhumanity, but efficiency; or waste. To deprive local politicians of the power to waste ratepayers', and taxpayers' money may annoy the local politicians, but it is not inhuman. A statement of the Government's intentions On this issue-is ;urgently called for. For its own credit the Government must declare without delay, and without equivocation where it stands. A shadowy hope of some greater "well-reasoned scheme of comprehensive reorganisation" is not sufficient. For long, attention has been drawn to the extravagance inseparable from the present administrative system. Alteration of that system will not deprive the sick of the care they need. Rather it will assure them better care at a lower cost. But to bring this about the Government must be prepared to face local criticism and opposition. Will it demonstrate that it has the courage, or will it evade the issue by talking vaguely of a bigger scheme and neither prqducing that scheme nor taking action on the plan the Commission has recommended?

NEWS OF THE DAY

Increase in Building. "It is most gratifying to notice how building is increasing in the district," said Mr. W. T. Strand (Mayor of Lower Hutt) at last evening's meeting of the Lower ijjitt Borough Council. "Apart from th,e increase shown last month there are quite a number of small residences and several very .fine homes planned to be erected during the immediate future." The return for last month showed that 15 permits were issued for buildings to the value of. £5004. Five of the permits were for dwellings to the value of \£ 3745, and one for a shop to the value of £850. During the corresponding month of last year 13 permits wore issued to^the value of £6117._ A councillor mentioned that several new industries were;planned to start in the borough shortly. "Yes," said Mr. Strand, '^'we are. by no means down and out." . . ->.•-. ' Interest Reduction. On the motion of Councillor Grierson the Lower Hutt Borough Council decided last evening to draft a remit to the Municipal Association asking the Government to take steps'to endeavour to have the interest on overseas loans reduced. The remit will come before the next meeting of. the council for -approval. ■.-.■.; :. . . Economy Report Approved! V The executive committee of the Associated Chambers of Commerce at a meeting yesterday, afternoon expressed unanimous approval of the .recommendations made in the report of the National Expenditure Commission and Will convey its views to the Prime Minister, urging. that the recommendations should be reflected in legislation during the current, session of Parliament. "The report, reveals how seriously State expenditure is out of adjustment with the fallen national income and it points out clearly the directions m which that expenditure must be scaled down to the reduced resources of the country," says a statement by the executive. "Not only the itemised departmental and other economies proposed, but also the complete changes in fetato policy recommended in connection with the Public Works Department Hospital and other systems, are essential to economic reconstruction and should be put into effect without delay. The only alternative to economy m State expenditure is increased taxation. Trade, industry, and commerce cannot carry any further ta*es, and as a, matter of national urgency, should be relieved of existing taxation at the earliest possible opportunfty'in order to facilitate national : recovery.". ':.-..• ' The. Hutt Library.'1-' C >~Y \ The Lower _ Hutt, Municipal Library is now established in new .quarters on the ground floor of "Feists';' building. Members, of the library committee reported to the council last night that the change was much appreciated by the public, and that the number of subscribers showed a distinct increase. Councillor Meldrum reported that the' ventilation^ needed attention, and that more seating accommodation was necessary, but otherwise the new quarters were very comfortable. . ; Small Country Schools. At last night's meeting of the Wellington School Committees' and Educational Federation an assurance was received from the Minister of Education (the Hon. R. Masters) that "none of the small country schools (grade O schools) would bo closed until the circumstances of each case had ieen fully investigated and considered. The Minister stated in his letter that there had been, no suggestion that, grade 1 schools should be closed, and . although the National Expenditure Commission recommended the- closing of all grade O schools, the Government did not intend to adopt this proposal in its entirety!'' iA Tagged vßalance-sheet. * • v For the past three years- l:he Lower Hutt Borough balance-sheet has been returned from the .■■Audit,! Department with a ''tag" atta*che,d;' 'drawing'; the attention _of .the council to the fact that its. : action in placing the balances of loan moneys temporarily in the general account was contrary to law, and tho Department has now,tasked the council to show cause_ why action should not be' taken against councillors; for a breach -of.the law. 'The- Mayor (Mr W. T. Strand) said ,at. last" evening's' meeting at' the; council that the action takpn might be good law;. but it certainly was bad business:, The law required that loan money.>could, not-be used for any other purpose ,|han'that for which- it was raised.?; Any ji'nex-, pended "balances must beiplaced on deposit and the interest used only .for the particular purpose for.iswhich the loan was raised. .If so placed on deposit the amount of interest it would earn would be only about 2 or 3 por cent., while if placed temporarily in the general account it reduced the council's overdraft. 'It was decided '.tp.' refer the Audit letter,* ;to the Finance Committee- for the purpose of having a reply grafted. '\ The Port of Patea. / ' A statement that" there was a possibility that the West Coast^Eefrigerating Company } would sell its shipping unless the freight costs could .be brought into line with a contract offered by the Railway Department was made at a- meeting of the Patea Harbour- Board by. the, chairman of directors of the company, Mr. J. R. Corrigan (reports the "Hawera Star"). '.Tho company could secure a more favourable freight rate from the railways than was being obtained at present by the maintenance of fits own boats, said Mr. Corrigan. It rested with the employees of the company and watersiders whether the port was to be continued or not. The freezing works had had to give up shipping through Patea, and a Shipping company' had also been compelled te give up the service. A stage had now been reached in which the refrigerating company, as the representatives of the farmers of South Taranaki, had to run its-boats more economically and obtain, a freight cost that was just as good as that being offered.- by the railways. If. it could not be secured, then the boats would have tor go out:of commission. "There is no bluff about the sale of the boats," added MX Corrigan. "There are buyers for them and the directors'of the com-pany-have received an,'offer'for 'the purchase of the Inaha. It hap to be remembered that if the" refrigerating company boats are withdrawn Patea will have a port, but it will have no trade through the port." Salesmanship. ~'-.." One of', the "assessors in the hairdressers' dispute; which was heard in Conciliation Council yesterday, was to say the least, decidedly bald and' yet it was said of himvthat he had no1 equal in the- business of selling hair restorer. "He used to ; boost the stuff to the young men who came into the shop," ran, the story, "and when they asked hint, why he did not use it himself he would answer sadly, 'I was young and silly and would not try it' He sold a^ bottle, every time!" Warning 'to Cyclists. The Bylaws Committee of the Lower Hutt Borough Council reported to the council last evening that it was to be regretted that cycles were still being used in the borough which' did not comply with the bylaw regarding the painting of the rear mudguard white, and also the bylaw which required a rear red reflector to be fitted. A warning has been given to several offenders, but the committee desired it to be known that future offenders might not be treated so leniently.

Superfluous Crayfish. Crayfish are so plentiful in tho vicinity of Kaikoura that the catches have exceeded the demand, says the Marlborough "Express." Quantities have been put back into tho sea through lack of a market. White Lines on Roads. The opinion that in places white lines on'ithe roads were a danger to traffic was expressed by the service officer of the Taranaki Automobile Association, Mr. R. Gredig, at a meeting of tho general committee (reports the "Taranaki Herald"). He considered that in places the lines were misleading and were a danger to motorists. There was one particular example—the Waiongona Bridge 'on tho Mountain road, in the Inglewood County. This was a one-car bridge, but the white line might lead a motorist to' believe that it was safe for two. A careful motorist did not need'linos to keep him on his. correct side, and. the other type of driver took no notice of the lines. In fact, some drivers actually drove deliberately over them. Therefore the lines were serving no useful purpose. -. . . Unemployed Tradesmen. The proposal to allo-w unemployed tradesmen to work at their' trades at relief rate's of pay (with a slight addition for the use of their tools) was again rejected by the Lflwer Hutt Borough Council last evening. It was suggested that certain brick buildings owned by th/.'council should be "pointed" by unemployed bricklayers. The Mayor (Mr. W. T, Strand) said the work was not. urgent, and the council ' had no money _to carry it but in the ordinary way. He had been repeatedly asked by tradesmen to; find them work at their trades, rather than ask them to do labourers ' work. Councillors Wilson and Patrick strongly opposed the proposal, considering. that it was not right to get tradesmen's work done at relief rates. The Mayor pointed out that the tradesmen were now competing with the labourers and taking away their jobs. Class distinction was also being created. It vras finally decided to get a report on the urgency of the work or otherwise, wifh a view to calling for tenders. . ' ' Old English Newspapers. Three very old newspapers are in the possession of Miss K. Hamerton, New Plymouth. The oldest is a copy of the "English Mereurie, published by auth■oritie, for the 'prevention of false reportes" on # 2jßfa July, 1588, giving news of the progressl of the Spanish Armada. Miss Hamerton also has two copies of the-"London Times," then a small four-page publication, dated 26th January, 1793, and 6th November, 1805. In the first is published a. letter giving de-tails-of the execution of Louis XVI of France, and*-a copy of his will (says the "Taranaki Daily News"), and in the later paper is^a report giving, the official narrative of the Battle of Trafalgar._ The "Mereurie". is a fourpage publication, each page measuring about 12 inches by 6, and each page of 'fThe Times" was about four times that size. . . Unusual Fresh-water Fish. A small fish of an unusual appearance was" landed by an angler while fishing in the Ashburton River near Greenstreet, states the "Ashburton Guardian." The specimen, which has not yet been identified, was about six inches long. It had a pouting mouth not. unlike that of a grouper, and a largo tapering head, in which were two openings set just below the -eyes. The fins, which were abnormally large-for the size of the fish, were set high up on the back. • The tail was almost straight. The fish was a silvery colour underneath, 'but elsewhere was marked like a rainboy .trout. : It has been forwarded, to Professor. Percival, of the New Zealand Fresh' Water Research Gommittee, Christchurch, for identification. -.'■-.;• ■; . . ■ ■ , .. .. Teachers' Summer School.' ' ' ■ The eighth session' of the teachers' summerjehpol is tobejield in Nelson ■from »«t to 20th January,, next year. ■The Nelson Boys' College, with its'fine range of residential : facilities and' splendid recreation/al equipment, has been placed .at the disposal of those attending the school. The school is designed to be stimulative, provocative, and informative. No attempt is made to < elaborate classroom technique the main objects"being, to enrich personality'by .'interests and /social contacts- anaVto* liberalise vision. Representative ; teachers from, all branches fraternise-in a social and recreational .atmospherey;. pool ; experiences,- discuss lectures.^ahd, .kindred interests,and' by interchange.'of,.: view -acquire; ■; bioader view's of",the'.,teaching mission and a more informed -'national', consciousness. Qn the- line's of ia. university extension movement; > popular lectnres are given, arid musical md dramatic entertainments are v organised for the benefit of the community as well as the members of the'school. Seven sessions of the school;. hel<l respectively at Cambridge . (2),,' Nelson," Waitaki, New Plymouth, Christchurch, and Whangarei, have built up distinctive traditions in unbroken continuity. Government in Business. ' "To cure depression, -we must get right back to'its original causes and remedy them, as it is no good repairing a structure if the foundations are faulty,",said Mr. Seavill, chairman of the, Farmers' Auctioneering ,Co., Hamilton,- atg the annual meeting of the company. "The: Government must withdraw from; tra!de .and wipe out trade restrictions. I will quote a glaring case in support of my contention," he said. "The greatest good for the greatest number is looked on as a fundamental principle- of democracy, yet the State not.only imposes a duty on imported wheat and flour, but actually itself, through a board, buys the country's requirements from overseas, resulting in higher prices for bread. If the Government would only abandon its socialistic activities and encourage private enterprise, I feel sure the results would be. of great benefit to the nation, both:, materially and morally." '■